Living on Cloud Nine: May 2016

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR MR.?

I hope you had the BEST and most relaxing long Holiday! Mr. Nine and I had a big weekend, it was our Anniversary. It was the first time in years we have not gone away but with this weekend's graduation coming up and open houses the next, too much to do. We had a couple date days last weekend, went for a great Brunch Sunday with the kids and will get a lil weekend away in July. However, I wanted to honor the love of my life with this fun little ditty.

A few weeks back, My friend Laura did a post about how well she knew her husband, so I decided to do one for the Mr. and must say, nailed it pretty good. These are honestly just a few of the things that make me love him so....

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on? Gold Rush, American Pickers, Football

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? A Vinaigrette

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Noodles

4. You go out to eat and have a drink; what does he order? An IPA Beer

5. Where did he go to high school? Adams High School

6. What is his nickname for you? Babe, Ann or Annie

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Cars

8. What would he eat every day if he could? Peanut Butter Benders or a Turkey Sandwich.

9. What is his favorite cereal? Grape Nuts or Raisin Bran.

10. What would he never wear? An Ohio State T-Shirt!

11. What is his favorite sports team? Notre Dame Fighting Irish!

12. Who did he vote for? Not Obama, I can tell ya that!

13. Who is his best friend? Me and David.

14. What do you do that bothers him? Lose stuff.

15. What is his heritage? German and Irish

16. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? Reese Cake

17. Did he play sports in high school? Yes, Football

18. What could he spend hours doing? Golfing

19. How does he make you feel special? He calls me beautiful every.single.day

20. What is one unique talent he has? He can beat box...super cool!!

Love this guy so much! My Stud!! My Hero!! Makes me laugh more then anyone.

I thank the Lord for him each and every day!! OH and guess what my Anniversary present was? A New car!!

How Well Do You know your Mr.? Give this a whirl..so fun!!

Linking up with Biana // Totally Terrific Tuesday // Show and Tell Tuesdays // Wordless Wednesday // Inspire Me Monday // Share The joy// Inspire Me Tuesday // Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party // Share It // Creative Monday's Blog Hop // Thoughts on Thursday // Waiting On Wednesday // Create It Thursday // Creative Muster Party // Wow Us Wednesdays // Wonderful Wednesday's Blog Hop // The Alder Collective // Feathered Nest Friday // Dishing It & Digging It // Wildly Original

xoxo

FRIDAY FAVORITES.....Memorial Edition

Here it is friends, that long weekend we've all been waiting for!! Big day...last day of school for our three teens; two of them, last day of high school Evah!!! Cue the water works. Speaking of, Forecast calling for rain all weekend here but we'll make the most of it!! And I hope you do too. Relax, laugh, eat and drink well and enjoy life to the fullest!! Oh and Mr. Nine and I are celebrating...it's our wedding anniversary on Sunday!

1. My ElegantlyDressed & Stylish Interview
I am sure some of your are familiar with the chic and ever enchanting Jessica from Elegantly Dressed & Stylish. I was so honored to be interviewed for her monthly Spotlight On, Over 40 Series.
Check out Jess's fun questions and my answers HERE

Isn't she a doll...sweet, smart, sassy, funny...I could go on and on...

2. Summer Salads

Ahh the kick off of the Summer means the Nine family will be eating much lighter. Lean meats, fresh veggies and lots more salads. Here are some of my favorites.

BLT PASTA SALAD HERE

RECIPE HERE

GRILLED ZUCCHINI CAPRESE SALAD HERE

RECIPE HERE

3. Week's Attire
Warmer temps mean lighter work wear!!

Kohl's Top, Express necklace, Loft pants, Anne Klein shoes

J.C. Penny Cardigan & Anchor Tee, Target sandals and Old Navy skirt

Glicks sweater, J.C.Penny Pants, Michael Kors flats

4. Straw Bags
Straw bags just scream beach and summer to me. I like to have a tote and a small clutch. Mr. Nine got me this cute tote a couple months ago...

and this week, this clutch arrived from Zappos

5. Weekend Snaps
We were so lucky to enjoy gorgeous weather last weekend and calm before the busy storm so Mr. Nine and I got a date night, a date day and fun trip to our families house 2 hours south for an 8th grade grad party for our dear and hilarious nephew, Jack. Here are some highlights that included dinner by the water, the BEST dessert, martini's and a game of basketball.

Thank you to all the VETS who have served and continue to serve our country PROUD including my Navy man Daddy and my Army man husband!!!

My dad at Navy Bootcamp in 1961

Happy Long Weekend Dear Peeps.

Linking up with Amanda // Friday Favorites // Oh Hey, Friday // High 5 For Friday // 5 on Friday
xoxo

TURKEY CRESCENT BAKE

Do you ever have those nights where you have nothing planned for dinner, and you need a tried-and-true recipe with the ingredients on hand. This is the one that I throw together on those kind of evenings. It's one of those perfect weeknight meals that comes together quickly and is savored by the whole family. If there happens to be any left, it also makes for great leftovers for lunch.
Yum

You know how much I love to cook with ground turkey so I always have several pounds of it on hand. Does anyone else like to eat those French fried onion from the container? So good and just a few sprinkled on top adds the perfect little crunch.

What you'll need

TURKEY CRESCENT BAKE

Ingredients

1 1lb pkg ground turkey meat

1 can crescent rolls or crescent dough sheet

1/3 cup chopped onions

1 can healthy request cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese, divided

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp Mortons Seasoning or seasoning of choice

1/2 small can French fried onions

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch or a 8x11 inch pan with cooking spay. Line with the crescent dough and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. In a large skillet, brown the turkey and onion until no longer pink. Add the cream of mushroom, paprika, peas, seasoning, and 1 cup of the cheese and cook until melted. Spoon over the crescent dough. top with a sprinkle of paprika, the other cup of shredded cheese and the French fried onions. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Happy Tasty Tuesday!
Linking up with

Blog Hop // Snickerdoodle Sunday // Dishing It & Digging It // Meal Plan Monday #106 // Creative Monday's Blog Hop // Feathered Nest Friday //
Weekend Potluck
xoxo

GARAGE SALE 101

Garage sale season has arrived! Remember, I had mine last weekend? Whether you love them or loathe em', I am here to tell you that for the last 20 years, I have had a May Garage sale and always have huge success! This year's sale was the extra mula to pay for Graduation Open House. I know many of you may think much of the merchandise sold at Garage Sale is junk, but not only do I only sell my nicest things, I have hit the jackpot at many sales myself. I don't shop them much anymore, but I still have a sale myself every other year and while it is a ton of work, it is always awesome!!

Here are some tips for having a super successful sale:

Choose the right date. Yes, it must fit into your busy schedule, but it also must work well for everyone else. This means avoiding major holidays and choosing a date near the middle of the month, in the early spring/summer tend to do best. And generally Friday's are better than Saturday's. Saturday's, I usually close shop at noon and then box it all up for goodwill.

Make it a Multi Family/ Neighbor Event. Multifamily sales get about 50 percent more traffic, so before you do this alone, ask neighbors if they want to have a sale too. If you can't get a group together, then ask friends and family if they want you to sell their items at your sale. The more things you have, the more people will be apt to stop in.

Advertise! This is one of the most important ones. I advertise a few days ahead of time in 2 newspapers and put signs at the road corners, addition entrance and front yard. Share on social media too for local folks.

Price your items to sell. If you have something that your grandmother gave you, then Google it and make sure it's not a $5,000 item that you're trying to sell for $5. High Dollar items are best left for resale, antique stores or Ebay. Furniture sells great if priced right. Also name brand clothing especially ladies and kids.

Spend time on your expensive items. If you have bigger, pricier items, then make sure they look good. We put air into the tires of the bicycles we sold, dusted and wiped down tables . Don't put in a ton of time on items that are priced at just a few dollars. I make bins saying "everything 25 cents, 50 cents or $1, that way you don't have to put a sticker on every little thing.

Stage the items. Transform your garage into a general store/boutique with a little staging. I have a couple portable clothes racks that I group clothing on, like coats, long dresses, etc. and hang the nicest outfits on the ends to showcase. I hang big ticket kids clothing like winter coats, Jersey's, Nike above the kids table.

Group like items together. I always put home decor together, electronic, clothing by size and category and group outdoor things on the driveway like bikes, garden equipment, tools and things like that. I groups things like jewelry and beauty products together.

Have what you need ready. A cash box and lots of changes is important, especially 1's, 5's and quarters. You may want to keep a measuring tape handy for customers to check the dimensions of your furniture and a mirror for ladies wanting to try on a jacket or necklace, etc. A few months ahead of time, start stock piling bags of all sizes, shopping bags and grocery store bags are perfect to place customers purchases in.

What about you, ever had a garage sale or found a heck of a deal at one?

Linking up with Biana // Totally Terrific Tuesday // Show and Tell Tuesdays // Wordless Wednesday // Inspire Me Monday // Share The joy// Inspire Me Tuesday // Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party // Share It // Creative Monday's Blog Hop // Thoughts on Thursday // Waiting On Wednesday // Create It Thursday // Creative Muster Party // Wow Us Wednesdays // Wonderful Wednesday's Blog Hop // The Alder Collective // Feathered Nest Friday // Dishing It & Digging It

xoxo

FRIDAY FAVORITES.....Red Shoes Edition

Happy Friday Loves! The sunshine and warmth finally returned yesterday! It been a busy week, we had Senior Awards on Monday for the two soon to be graduates, who both got scholarships and wrapped up a High School discus throwing career yesterday for one of them. This weekend officially kicks off our crazy busy graduation season with a nephew graduating from 8th grade and then let the open house festivities begin in spades. A basket at our house is just filled with invites galore.
I hope your May weekend is filled with laughter and love!!

1. Red Shoe Slushies
I realized I hadn't done a cocktail in awhile. You know this mama's busy when no cocktails, lol. With Summer & the holiday weekend coming up, it has to be slushie time!! These are so simple and scrumptious.

RED SHOE SLUSHIES
1 16 oz container strawberries, hulled
1 bottle champagne or sparkling wine
2 Tablespoons Honey

Pour half champagne or wine the blender, then pour other half into a large glass or pitcher, cover and set aside in the refrigerator. Add strawberries and honey to blender and blend until chunks have disappeared. Pour mixture into ice cube trays and freeze until completely solid. Remove ice cubes from the trays and return to blender. Add remaining champagne and blend until a thick, slushie consistency has formed. Pour into champagne glasses & serve.

2. Red Shoes

OH How I love these Polka Dot WEDGE SANDALS!!

These Polka Dot Sandals Are darling as well

More Red Shoe LOVE

3. Pineapple Ring
Pineapple Love is popping up everywhere. After I got my Pineapple door mat, I literally began seeing Pineapples everywhere. Look at my new fun ring. It'll be fun with Summer outfits. I got my mom one too.