Living on Cloud Nine: August 2015

HOW I FEEL.....

Happy Monday! Hope your weekend was overflowing with happiness, relaxation and sunshine. Fuzzy pic but how stinkin' cute is this little girl!! You just want to kiss her cheeks!!
Taking more of a breather today as busy day ahead but wanted to post a little
HOW I FEEL...about certain things and people I love...

About Monday

About Work

About My Boys

Why We Love Raising Teen Boys Post HERE

About My Mom

About My Husband

About My Dog

Our heartbeat...Daisy Mae

About My Lord

About Fashion

About No Make-Up

Linking up with the beautiful Biana // Garay Treasures // Totally Terrific Tuesday // Tuesday Talk // Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop
// Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop // The Sits Girls // Clever Chicks Blog Hop
xoxo

I'll be back tomorrow with a scrumptious recipe and great outfits later in the week. Until then....

FRIDAY FAVORITES

What? The last Friday in August. I swear fastest month of the summer. Too much running around like a mad woman did crazy things to my brain this week. I bought a $5.50 Tomato! Yep, that's right ONE tomato, over $5!! Well, it ended up being worth it as you'll see in my Fav #4! It is so true what they say, the older you get, the faster time flies! Take time to enjoy and savor this weekend friends and do something crazy like buying a $5 Tomato!!

1. ORANGE CREAMSICLE COCKTAIL
So refreshing and well, pretty too!

Ingredients:

(Makes one drink)

1/4 cup of fresh orange juice

1/4 cup of milk or cream

3 tablespoons of Pinnacle Whipped Vodka or Orange Whipped Vodka

1 teaspoon of vanilla instant pudding mix

Garnish (optional): whipped cream/whipped topping, orange zest, and/or orange slices

Directions:
Mix orange juice, milk/cream, vodka, and pudding mix in shaker with ice. Shake for about 30 seconds. Strain drink into glass and garnish as desired.

2. DENIM VEST

So, I would have to say my number one favorite purchase of the last six months was my denim vest from Target. It got me thinking about how it is great for the warmer and cooler months, here are my takes with it and some inspirations.

Denim & Barefoot Post

Denim Dress & Easy Vest Post

Just an outfit I threw together this week

And how cute is this tutorial feature page for 20 Tips on how to Style a Denim Vest

HERE

3. SWEET -N- SAVORY RECIPES
Say the name of these gooey bars 3 times. I say have the salad I made below and then a Cookie bar and you're all set for fabulous flavors and lick your lips good eatin'!
SALTED CARAMEL COOKIE DOUGH BILLIONAIRE BARS

Recipe HERE

BRUSCHETTA SALAD
Yep, here is where the $5.50 Heirloom tomato comes in. A few weeks ago, I mentioned how much I love Bruschetta HERE and the amazing Heirloom tomato one we had a local eatery. Well, I was at a farmers market and saw a bucket of Heirloom tomatoes and got excited, not looking at the price til the girl weighed it and said "You know this tomato is $5.50, right?" "OK," I said. What? Yet look what I created

Marinated Mozzarella balls cut in half, cut up Heirloom tomato and a slice of toasted Tuscan loaf bread drizzled in olive oil and cut up! Heirloom Heaven!!

4. WORK ATTIRE

It was actually cool enough a the beginning of the week to leave my cardigans on after work and not rip them off the moment I got out in the sweltering heat. A welcome feel for sure.

Joe Fresh top and cardigan from J.C.Penny

I.N.C. Sweater from Macy's

5. ROSES

Simplicity at it's best!! Love them!!

..And Love all of you! Happy Weekending!!

Linking up with Friday Favorites // Jaymie Ashcraft // Meet at the Barre // Fashion Friday // High Five For Friday // Style Elixir
// Oh Hey, Friday // A Lovely Little Link Up // Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

xoxo

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck."

~Emma Goldman

BOHO PRETTY FINDS

So I am not quite ready for sweater weather yet, but I did want to show you my two finds from the Boho Pretty traveling Boutique that I mentioned in my post a couple weeks ago entitled

The Perfect Day. It was parked at the Art Fair at the winery we visited.

Yep, same booties I paired with yesterday's dress as they go with everything!!

Boho Pretty is a Mobile & Online Boutique bringing all of the latest trends in women's clothing.

Imagine your grandparents old 1970’s Shasta trailer revamped into a cute, chic, boutique that carries women’s clothing, accessories, etc. and also in plus size options as well.

Based in the Midwest, The Boho Pretty Mobile Boutique is traveling to street festivals, college campuses, business & networking functions, philanthropic events, and to homes for private shopping parties! You might also find them at a random "Stop & Shops" around small towns and big cities.

Boho Pretty Mobile Boutique complete with a chandelier and changing room. So Cute!!

I love the lace detail at the bottom and that it is long enough for leggings. I think a tall riding boot would look great too. Here I decided just to cuff a skinny jean and pair with the booties.

The purse is a great size. I love that it has dividers inside not the mention a zipper pocket in from and one in back. A huge pet peeve for me is no outside pocket on a larger purse or bag.

This is a color I think you'll be seeing a lot of too. Maroons, burgundy's, crimsons, all the red hues, all over for Fall.

If you are ever out and about and find a mobile boutique such as this one, give it a try;
cute and unique stuff!
Linked up with 50 is Not Old
xoxo

ITALIAN STEW

As I write this post, I am eating leftovers of this Stew and it is even better heated up!! Yummy!

This stew is so simple, you won't believe it. Plus, it is packed with flavor. Hearty turkey sausage comes together deliciously with veggies, tender beans, whole wheat macaroni and cheeses. I like to serve it with a few buttery type crackers like Townhouse or Ritz but of course,a good bread would be heavenly too. This is great with a glass of wine for a quick, yet filling and elegant meal.
Yum

So full of Flavor!!

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp. any Zesty Italian Dressing
1 lb. Italian turkey sausage
2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables (white onions; sliced green, red and yellow peppers)
1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup whole wheat elbow macaroni, uncooked
1/4 teaspoon Italian herbs
1 cup Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella or Italian Blend Cheese
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Buttery crackers like Townhouse or Ritz

DIRECTIONS

Heat dressing in large saucepan on medium heat. Add sausage; cook 8 to 10 min. or until done, stirring occasionally to break into small pieces. Drain.

Add broth, stir-fry vegetables, beans and tomatoes; bring to boil. Stir in macaroni; simmer on medium heat 8 to 10 min. or until macaroni is tender, stirring occasionally. Add the Italian herbs or your favorite seasoning.

Top with Cheese and sprinkle with a little of the grated Parm

A one pot meal cannot be beat!

Linking with
Inspire Me Tuesday // Totally Terrific Tuesday // Meal Plan Monday

xoxo

I'M SO OVER........

We all have things we worry about. Trust me, with kids getting ready to go to college and their numerous activity and homework pressures, not to mention, my own, worrying is a BIG part of my life! However, I know that I need to let go and let GOD!! Why worry, when he has a plan for me, right? Well, that is easier said than done and there will be days where I will be a worry wart! However, I have decided to let a lot of things go and to simply be Sooo over some of them.
Try it, because let me tell ya, whether the issue or dislike is serious or trivial, letting it go is so very FREEING!!!

Here are 9 Things I'M SO OVER:

1. Mom Guilt (over Kids and Fur Babies)

I could do a whole post on this.In theory we all know there is no perfect mother.
And this applies to Fur Baby Moms too.

In reality, however, we seem to hold ourselves to a standard of motherhood that's insane. I mean flat-out, crazy-making, cuckoo-land kind of nuts. And if that weren't bad enough, we trick ourselves into believing we're the only ones who fail at everything. Then we beat ourselves up. And tell ourselves mean things at the end of long days. Why didn't I feed them a veggie at dinner? I didn't buy the right shampoo? Did I say the right things when they were upset? For animals, what if that's too many treats? When we've cooked and cleaned and commuted and brought home the bacon and washed and cleaned some more and checked the homework and sung the songs and read the books, we sit down on the sofa and shake our heads and tell ourselves what bad, bad moms we are.

That's insane, that's exhausting. And I'm so over it!

I'm gonna let myself off the hook and dish up the ice cream at 10:00 p.m. and not the guilt.

2. Circumstances I Can’t Control
Crap, the power is out so I cannot curl my hair for work, or my cousin got a scary diagnosis and I want him to be ok or there is a train and I cannot get out the line of traffic to go another route. Yep, bad stuff happens that is not under our control. We must roll with the punches. We can pray and we can wish, but some things we simply cannot control. Let it go and hope for the best.

3. People Who Don't Get Blogging.
Do you ever get asked why you Blog? I know I do, and my answer is always, "For the fun of it, it's my hobby, my online diary of sorts." Most people think that is great! How much time does it take? To which I reply "Oh, about 30 hours a week." Then, I get the look as if some people think I'm nuts, especially since I work too and often they add "YOU mean you DON'T get paid for this?" No ma'am, just for fun right now!! End.Of.Story!!

4. Not Responding Immediately to a Text, Call, or Email

We can’t always get back to a friend, loved one, or colleague immediately. Unless there’s an
emergency (and usually you can tell), apologizing for taking more than a split second to reply can make an issue out of something that might not have been a big deal to begin with.

5. My Flowers
I love planting and caring for flowers so much that I even did a Post on it in May about our annual trip to choose flowers called Picking Posies. Well, with the way this Summer's weather has been , they stated going down hill fast and in the heat wave, I was so tired of watering 20 gazillion flowers every night that I'm about ready to replace them with mums and pumpkins.

Here is what one of my flowers looked like a few weeks ago.

Here is now.

Pi-ti-FUL...Letting it go

6. Losing 10 lbs
I am never going to be the weight I was in high school or a size 2 again. I work out 6 days a week, I try to eat well, but I do enjoy certain foods in moderation and I enjoy every bite! Of course I get frustrated if I've put on a couple pounds, so I cut back a little. In fact, I just had a Wellness Assessment and I am 5 pounds heavier than 6 months ago! What? I'll work on shedding a couple but, I am so over letting it consume me.

7. Low Carb
One word: COOKIE! I do eat a lot of protein and stay on the lower consumption of carbs, but I am sorry if a really really good homemade cookie is in front of me, or piping hot fresh bread, I will indulge a little and right along with getting over losing weight, I will enjoy it like a Carb Boss!! I will refrain from eating 10 cookies but I will most certainly enjoy the two I did eat!!

8. Judgement

Judging.

Comparing.

Competing.

Whatever you want to call it, it runs rampant and I refuse to partake. I live in a community that is horrible at this and it makes me sad. I would love to see all of us practicing a little more grace. Stop comparing. Stop assuming. You make the choices that are best for YOU, I'll make the choices that are best for ME, and lets stop the critiquing. Everyone has battles, everyone has strengths and we can all learn from lifting each other up, not from tearing down.

9. Making everything from scratch
I used to make so many things from scratch but is there really any need to make EVERYTHING from scratch - there are some really decent convenience things that contain nothing but good wholesome ingredients and if I want to feed my family Velveeta Shells and Cheese, I will. If time is short and they need a frozen pizza, go ahead. I cook great meals as often as I can but my goodness,sometimes you just gotta allow the convenience of non-scratch into your life. If someone makes a point of making EVERYTHING from scratch, you gotta wonder, where in the world did they get a 36 hour day?

Also SO OVER: Whiners, Long Lines, "I'm Entitled" Attitude People, Road Construction, Celebrity Divorces, snacks that taste like cardboard, do-gooders who only do it for the attention, texting while in conversation and I was going to say Pineapples but how can I do that when look: