Saw it. Pinned it. Did it. - Hanging Chalkboard Initial

Well, well, well...happy Friday eve everyone! Who's ready for a little SPD action today? (Saw it. Pinned it. Did it. for all you newbies out there!) ;)

Today's Pinterest project is brought to you by...the letter H!

You've probably seen these all over everyone and their dog's Pinterest boards. I know what you're thinking...not another moss covered initial...

via

Have no fear! I figured all that moss would be a disaster both before, during and after so I decided to take my hanging initial to the next level....

According to my assistant, here's what you'll need:

Wooden initial | burlap ribbon | chalkboard paint | paintbrush | chalk

First things first...grab your chalkboard paint and go to town! Fun fact: for best results when using chalkboard paint, paint one coat horizontally, allow to dry for at least and hour, and then paint your second coat vertically.

Easy enough, right?!

I must say I am thoroughly impressed with this chalkboard paint I got from Hob Lob. I've bought some before that doesn't really work all that well but this stuff is awesome, I tell ya! Works SO well and the chalk actually shows up really good!

After your paint is dry, you'll wanna borrow your husband's staple gun and secure the burlap to the back of your wooden letter so you can begin tying your bow. If he questions you with your staple gun one hand and a glass of wine in the other, tell him to mind his own biznass. ;)

Tie all that burlap goodness into a big ol' fancy bow and voila! My mother-in-law has always told me that every kitchen should have a touch of red so our's is hanging from our pantry door and I'm so excited to use this for menus, holidays, love notes, etc!! Oh the possibilities!! 

I know I say this every week but this was seriously the simplest project ever.  EVER! And I think they would make for the cutest gifts...don't you?!

Your turn!

1. Link up using the linky tool below.

2. Link back to mine & Katie's blogs in your post so other people can know where to find the link up!

3. Paste our button (HTML code below) at the bottom of your post.

4. Visit & re-pin other blog images to get new inspiration and find new friends!

<center> <a href="http://www.snhblog.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/qlr8r.jpg">

Come back and join us every Thursday for Saw it. Pinned it. Did it. 

We promise we'll love you forever! ;)

List of Happy

Here lately, I can't help but realize how completely content with life I've been. Not that I don't still worry about paying bills, toning up my flabby thighs or who's going to clean the house today...because trust me...I do...but overall, I've really been noticing just how blissful life really is.

It's humbling.

I challenge you to take a step back from the day to day grind and cherish some of the little things in life, y'all. You may be really surprised with how much you have to be happy about!

My current list of happy...

*Texas pecan coffee...with love notes on the side

*productive mornings that consist of a full workout, a load of laundry, a round of dishes and even a little QT with the husband and Oakley...all before 9am

*becoming an aunt...very, very soon! (And by "very soon" I mean NEXT WEEK!!!!)



*happy hours with girlfriends

*The Bachelorette-is it just me or do y'all just ADORE Desiree?!

*sweet mail from even sweeter friends

*morning chats with my mom and aunt

*giant, sleepy puppy paws

*my new job and how exciting/stress-free it is (for now, I should say...)

*a much needed vacation in our near future. Le sigh...

*SUMMERTIME!

*Big, beautiful porches, the Texas hill country and my lioness of a dog...

Take the happy challenge and tell me... 

What's making you happy?!

Weekend Happenings (+ 30 Before 30 Update)

Happy Monday Tuesday, friends! Is there anything better than waking up thinking it's Monday when really...it's Tuesday? I think not.

Oh Memorial Day weekend...how I miss you so. Ours was spent at the good ol' Frio River and was full of good food, good music and even better friends! ...Oh...and one worn out little puppy. ;)

Proof.

+++

In other news, I've knocked out 7 of my 30 before 30 checklist! My goal is to complete at least 11 this year so I'd like to think I'm making good progress, yes?

30 Before 30 Update:

1. Pay for someone else's meal anonymously
2. Witness a proposal
3. Be a maid of honor
4. Learn graphic design
5. Drink wine in Napa 
6. Learn how to shoot in manual (& be semi-decent at it)
7. Make double mortgage payments once/year
8. Pack only in a carry on for a trip
9. Eat a raw diet for 3 days straight
10. Turn my blog into a book 
11. Write a gratitude for a full year
12. Find a church and go regularly
13. Swim in Lake Michigan
14. Grow blog to 6,500 followers
15. Send handwritten cards once/week
16. Renew our vows in April 2016
17. Have a baby
18. Go an entire week without social media
19. Host a party all on my own 
20. Start a new family tradition 
21. Take a vacation with just Beau and myself
22. Visit my family in Tennessee 
23. Send my mom on a vacation 
24. Get a puppy
25. Be a leader in my company
26. Buy Beau a Ford Raptor...in cash 
27. Wake up at 5am every week day 
28. Work out 3 times per week before work 
29. Rebuild savings account to at least $25,000 
30. Pay it forward in a really BIG way

Coming up soon:

• Pay for someone else's meal anonymously
• Learn how to shoot in manual
• Start a family tradition
• Take a vacation with just Beau and I

You thought I was going to list of #17, didn't you?! ;)

Happy 4-day workweek loverpants! How was your Memorial Day weekend spent?!

Saw it. Pinned it. {Drank it.} Did it. - Wine Cork Magnets

Hey, hey, hey! Lone Ranger here! I say that because my lovely co-host, whoiscurrentlyonvacationinbeautifulnaplesfloridaratherthanhostingthislinkup, has taken the week off for her birthday. Fine. Pssh. Whatever, Katie. We don't need you anyways. (Kidding! You can come back now!)

So anywho...you're stuck with lil' ol' me for today...hope that's okay with y'all?

Let's get started with this week's Saw it. Pinned it. Did it. project, shall we?!

This post inspired by:

via

Also inspired by wine. Lots of it.

Let me preface this by saying today's project was so easy even Oakley could have done it. Yes, that easy. But per usual, she was busy playing or modeling or something of the sort so I was left to finish out the project for us.

Like a tiger, Oakley. Like a tiger.

Ok. Nevermind. Like a ridgeback?

Not ONLY could this go down as the simplest thing ever but dare I mention it only consists of 3 ingredients?

Hot glue gun | wine corks | magnets

Unless you're oddly slow...or drunk (hey, it's possible?)...you know where I'm headed with this.

We're going to make magnets out of wine corks, people.

Step one. Drink 4 bottles of wine and grab a couple of knives. 

Step two. Cut your corks in half, hotdog style; careful to not slice your hand open. The last thing I need is a letter from your attorney suing me over a Pinterest project...

Step three. Drink more wine. 

Step four. Hot glue magnets onto the backs of your halved wine corks.

Voila! 

There you have it: wine cork magnets!

Flipping genius, right? Too bad I can't take the credit for this one.

Your turn!

1. Link up using the linky tool below.

2. Link back to my blog in your post so other people can know where to find the link up!

3. Paste our button (HTML code below) at the bottom of your post.

4. Visit & re-pin other blog images to get new inspiration and find new friends!

<center> <a href="http://www.snhblog.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/qlr8r.jpg">

Come back and join us every Thursday for Saw it. Pinned it. Did it. 

We promise we'll love you forever! ;)

Memorial Day Must-Haves

Iono about all you pretty people but if there's one holiday that gets me 50 shades of excited...it's Memorial Day weekend!

...3-day weekend
...the official kickoff of summer
...good friends
...good food
...even better booze
...did I say "3 day weekend"??!!

(Ok and because she would absolutely KILL me if I didn't say it...it's also Katie's birthday weekend #yourewelcomekatie)

Last week, I was already itching to sport my red, white and blue. We were getting all our plans settled, picking out new swimsuits and making our grocery list so I posed the following question on Twitter:

...and it goes without saying you girls did NOT let me down. It looks like my vision of Memorial Day was almost spot on with everyone else's! Whatdya say we all get together and have one BIG Memorial Day/blogger party? Yes?! Ok you plan it. I'll pack the wine.

Without further adieu and with YOUR assistance, I present to you:

+good music (ahem...preferably FGL!) by @Amandaar
+festive bikini by @KaitSawyer
+sunscreen by @fromCAtoKS
+your favorite pair of sunnies #absolutenecessity by @EasyPeasyGlam
+BOOZE #moreofanecessitythanthesunglasses by @Shesabigstar
+lawn chairs (ahem...really cute adirondacks from World Market? Yes.) by @TayFrizz
+furchildren by @CarolineLGray
+guacamole salsa (yes, yes and yes!) by @BrookeM225
+American flag beer pong swim trunks by @thebeau
+Essie "Ole Caliente" by @yourstruly
+adorable flips by @twsrblog
+BBQ...DUH! by @PerfectlyJenn

Not pictured: any body of water....pool, beach, lake, river, ocean, hot tub, bath tub...just get in it.

My choice: the Frio river

 

 

What do you do have planned for Memorial Day weekend?! 

PS: Don't forget to enter to my giveaway for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card! Only a few days left!

What do you crave?

Hey there friends! Happy Friday to you all!

Per usual, I'm here to make you spend money. You know...because what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't entice you to drop your entire paycheck at one of my absolute favorite new boutiques?!

I stand corrected...you will NOT drop your entire paycheck today because, well, everything these fabulous ladies carry is...get this...LESS THAN $50.

Meet Lana & Regan. The beautiful (& incredibly blessed with fabulous hair) women 

behind Crave Boutique!

Oh yes. 

They went there.

Read my lips. Err-text.

Nothing. Over. Fifty. Dollars.

I've clearly been stalking their site ever since I found out about them and decided to made myself a little wishlist. Or "Cravelist", if you will... ;)

Tied with a Bow Top

You know my obsession with bows. I need this in my closet like yesterday.

Simply Shift Dress

That color combo...swoon! {might I add...it's only $27!}

Tan Chevron Scarf - $12

And back to this dress...

Obviously...I went with the pink & black. 

{Hello? Do you know me?}

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE every stinkin' last thing about this dress!! The gold accents on the buttons, the sleeves...It's not too long, not to short. Not to fitted, not too baggy. Since it's so lightweight, I can probably get away with wearing it all summer long with dressy flips or even pair it with some black tights & patent pumps in the winter and sport it then, too! (Not to mention...I got a TON of compliments on it! Thanks, Regan for stylin' a sister up!)

And the bestest part?

Thirty dolla make ya holla!

If you're already obsessed, like me, you can find them online, on Facebook or even follow their precious boutique on Instagram! (Pssst! They do giveaways on Instagram every once in a while!)

Now go.

Be free.

And shop Crave!

Or send me something off my Cravelist. ;) 

Saw it. Pinned it. Did it. - No-Bake Apple "Pizza"

There's absolutely nothing better than finding something on Pinterest that 

A) actually lives up to your expectations 

and 

B) you already have every ingredient for 

Amiright or amiright?

Ok. So maybe there are better things in this world...like newborn babies, puppies, Duck Dynasty and Tito's Vodka but you get mah drift.

The original pin didn't really have a creative name so I just took it upon myself and named it...the "No-Bake Apple Pizza". Oh ya. Sometimes you just gotta take matters into your own hands...

Original pin:

(Boo you...highly skilled food photographer! #kidding #jealous)

Annnnd here we go!

Here's what you'll need:

gluten-free oats | almond/peanut butter | apple (I prefer Honeycrisp #applesnob) | dark chocolate chips

Also needed:

One photobombing puppy

Step one: Slice your apple into 1/2 inch slices (I don't measure anything y'all so just eyeball it, k? No need to bust out the tape measure people...)

Step two: Layer your toppings in the following order. Use however much you want. Get crazy, y'all! 

• Almond/peanut butter
• Gluten-free oats
• Dark chocolate chips

(The original recipe called for nuts but I don't like nuts in my food so I omitted that part.) 

Step three: DEVOUR!

Done.

Done.

And

Done.

Don't let the pictures fool you...I assure you I ate FOUR of these by the time I finished taking pictures of them all! Okay...Oakley helped.

Ye knowith ze drilleth! 

1. Link up using the linky tool below.

2. Link back to Katie & I so other people can know where to find the link up!

3. Paste our button (HTML code below) at the bottom of your post.

4. Visit & re-pin other blog images to get new inspiration and find new friends!

Join us every Thursday for Saw it. Pinned it. Did it. 

We promise we'll love you forever! ;)

Liquid Goodness

Being a girl from the South, while I'd like to think I'm not too terribly demanding, I'll be honest...there are three things in my world that must be spot on:

My cowgirl boots.

My country music.

And my sweet tea. 

...specifically the kind that's served in mason jar form...

...and from a convenient, non-tea-bag-steeping, squeezy bottle. 

(Is it just me or is steeping tea bags the most obnoxious thing ever?!)...

 Enter: Crystal Light Liquid. 

That's right party people...no more powdery mess, no steeping of tea bags (Can I get an amen?!) , 

0 calories, all liquid goodness, and comes in 6 genius flavors:

iced tea | peach bellini | pomtini | strawberry lemonade | mango passionfruit | blueberry raspberry

While I'd usually have fresh iced tea set out for my parties, I tested out the new Crystal Light Liquid at our recent housewarming party and needless to say, it was a HUGE hit! Some might call it lazy, but I call it efficient. (Hey, I had a LOT to do in a little bit of time so boiling and steeping tea bags was not in the plans.) Fortunately, a few drops of this stuff hit the spot and helped get the party started!

I'm still anxious to run out and pick up the peach bellini and pomtini flavors and give em' a test drive but until then, I know the iced tea Crystal Light Liquid will be making a regular appearance in my kitchen, my purse and even my desk drawer.

Do I think the iced tea flavor is every Southern girl's dream? Absolutely. Stuff is UH-DIC-TING and adds just the perfect amount of flavoring to spice up that boring ol' glass of water!

Now that you know mine...what's your party planning, time-saving secret?!   For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card leave an answer in the comments below! 

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the
following unique term in your tweet message: ""#SweepstakesEntry""; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post"
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/14 - 6/4.
Be sure to visit the Crystal Light page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Weekend To-Do's

one. Rescue drowning mouse from community pool - check!
two. Work outside on a sunny Friday afternoon- check!
three. Find & purchase adorable "LOVE" bracelet - check!
four. Make feet really happy with new bow flips - check!
five. Consume one too many"Ridgeback Ales" at a local brewery - check!
six. Take one too many photos of Miss Oakley - check!
seven. Enjoy my very first Furmother's Day - check!

And finally...

eight. Surround myself with the most beautiful and important women in my life - check...check...check!

I hope y'all had an equally fantastic mouse-saving, pool-going, ale-drinking, puppy-kissing, momma-loving weekend!