Looking at my latest pins it appears that I'm hungry for new and interesting dishes. Now that I have the time because it's summer my goal is to make dinner every evening - not only to stay within our budget but to expand our dinner repertoire beyond tacos, hamburgers, and Swiss Chicken. I worry about the day we ever have children and getting them to eat vegetables because we would be the worst examples as parents!

This "Green Monster" smoothie supposedly doesn't taste what it looks like. I need to get my hands on a blender to try it out for myself. Anyone ever tried this before?



The BF bought a pork loin on whim last week and I had to figure out how to cook it - this seemed like an easy and simple option, it's on the menu for Thursday with some mashed taters.



This lovely desert is on the menu for tomorrow night - so excited to try it out however I'm nervous because I don't have an electric mixer and it might be difficult to give the cream cheese the right consistency. I'll post the results tomorrow, wish me luck!



Ok so not all of my pins were food but this still belongs in the kitchen - it's cheap, easy, and cute!



And I don't know where this pin fits in but I really want an infinity ring. I blame my slight obsession with the infinity symbol all on Pinterest. Our six year dating anniversary coming up and even though I've been super obvious about wanting it we usually don't do presents beyond sentimental stuff so it might just be a little present to myself.

 

Like what you see? You can follow me on Pinterest and see more good stuff on the daily.

Pin anything good lately? Link up with The Vintage Apple and leave me a comment so I can check them out!

       

It's officially summer and while I've had my countdown going for quite sometime, now that it's here I almost don't know what to do with myself. I went on a cleaning binge last weekend so I've only had to spot clean here and there and since I'm not teaching summer school I feel a tad bit guilty that I'm not pulling in any income to add to our emergency fund (darn you Dave Ramsey!)

While I know I don't want a part time job I am interested in generating some kind of earnings for crafty projects and stuff around the house doing things I already do...like perusing the internet. Recently I stumbled across Money Saving Mom (nope, not a mom yet but she has some great tips!) and she had a link for SwagBucks.



What is SwagBucks?

"Swagbucks.com is an online portal dedicated to helping you earn digital dollars called "Swag Bucks", which can be redeemed for exclusive Swagbucks.com merchandise."

I was a little leery at first but after reading Money Saving Mom and how she was able to earn gift cards to places like Amazon.com I thought it couldn't hurt to poke around and try it out.

Earning SwagBucks is pretty simple, conduct web searches, watch videos, play games, and find codes for SwagBucks on Facebook and  Twitter. Easy peasy.

I just signed up today and I've racked up 130 SwagBucks doing regular activities like searching the web. It takes about 450 Swagbucks to earn a $5 gift card to Amazon...at this rate I could earn one each week!

Wanna try it out yourself? Click the banner below and start earning yourself some free swag!


Do you already use SwagBucks? If so, what have you earned already or are you saving up for something big?

Goodness gracious it's Friday! Hallelujah!

I'm linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk for her awesome Friday link party, head on over and check it out.



This week rocked hardcore because...

1. School's out for summer! Yes, vacation is here and I'm beyond excited!

2. I enjoyed this delectable treat at Thursday night's Cardinals-Phillies game.



Even though we lost it was pretty exciting due to the fact a streaker ran across the field between innings. I won't post any pics/vids here but a quick Google search will show that he was naked as a jaybird!

No streaker in this one...

3. The boyfriend and I are going to rock our faces off tonight at the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert!

4. I've noticed quite a few new people around here...thanks so much for following! Nice to see I'm not talking to myself anymore!



5. Did I mention it's summer? It deserves two mentions this week because the countdown is finally over and I'm glad to relax for 75 days in a row. I was really sad to see my students go this year, they were a great bunch and will spend my summer days reflecting on our wonderful year and how to improve...mostly while laying by the pool and reading. Yea buddy!

Hope you had a great week and enjoy the long weekend!

This week on Pinterest it seems my theme is organization and booze...two things that probably don't go well together.

Let's start with the libations...







And the organization...








Like what you see? You can follow me on Pinterest and see more good stuff on the daily.

Pin anything good lately? Link up with The Vintage Apple and leave me a comment so I can check them out!

I've been a little nail-centric lately since discovering Sensationail but just one more update...promise, last one I swear.

After a cleaning binge today, I broke two nails which in turn damaged my manicure - so it came time to remove the gel color. I've heard that removing gel nail color can be quite the process and I'm here to say that yes, yes it is. Definitely block out some time to sit...perhaps while an all day Law and Order: SVU marathon is running.

I followed the directions that came with the packaging, buff shine off nails, soak nails in acetone for 15 minutes, then push gel color off nails using a cuticle stick. Besides the acetone fumes it wasn't so bad. It does NOT just fall off as you might hope. It takes time and poking at your nail with a cuticle stick can be unpleasant for some but I didn't mind. I filed the rest of the polish off rather easily leaving my nails pretty rough.

I also tried another method that I had seen online recently...soaking a cotton pad in acetone and placing it on my nail then wrapping in foil.


Honestly it worked the same as putting my fingers in a bowl of acetone to soak, still had to wait, still had to push color off my nails, still had to file off remaining color. So unfortunately no miracle removal trick here.

Over the weekend I picked up a new color, Coral Sunset, a lovely shade for the summer.


And I am pleased as punch at the results. So there you have it, my last (lengthy) post about my nails.

How was your weekend? Mine was lovely - a Brad Paisley concert, b-day party at the park, and movie night with the boyfriend (we watched Crazy, Stupid, Love), a nice preview of my summer to come...only three more days!

You took a little longer to get here this week Friday, I'm going to need you to get on that. I don't like waiting. But now that your here I'm so glad!

I'm linking up with Lauren over at From My Grey Desk about our favorite things this week, you should head over and check out some of the awesome gals that link up each week and leave a few comments - it brightens everyone's day!



A high five this week for:

1. Making it through an absolute bonkers week with my 6th graders. I'm pretty sure they've already started summer vacation and they aren't sure why their parents keep dropping them off at school each morning. 3 more days.

2. My nails.

I told you about my Sensationail discovery on Sunday and I am happy to report that my nails are still looking great...super shiny, strong, and practically chip free, only one tiny chip on my pointer finger which I can totally deal with. I've gotten so many great compliments too!

3. MFJ (My friend Jody) and I are headed to the Brad Paisley concert tonight. Yes, I have my sundress and cowboy boots already to go!

4. My youngest sister is home from college and now we can hang all summer!


5. I tried sushi. Jury is still out on if I would try it again. I would definitely cut it in smaller pieces instead of eating the whole bite like your supposed to but overall not as bad as I thought it might be. Yay for trying new things!

Hope you have a lovely weekend full of sunshine and rainbows!

It's Wednesday and I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple to share my latest pins. Head over there and check it out!




My mantra these last couple of days...





I probably do this at least once a day...my bad.





Love these colors and flowers.


I want this gray in my house!



Like what you see? You can follow me on Pinterest and see more good stuff on the daily.

Pin anything good lately? Link up with The Vintage Apple and leave me a comment so I can check them out!

This month's Birchbox was a collaboration with the CW's Gossip Girl which I was mucho excited about. I am a huge fan of the show and will be tuning in tonight to see all the Chair, Dair, and Derena action during the season finale. (Would you guess that I'm a grown woman with that last sentence?)


But I have to say my Birchbox was a bit of a disappointment mostly because I had been reading about the possible box contents (Dior, Stila, etc) on Facebook and I received none of those items I had seen mentioned. Also, I received another repeat item - not the exact same but a similar product as last month.


My favorite thing wasn't even a beauty product this month, it was the cute XOXO note card and hot pink envelope. Other items I received:

• Arquiste Flor y Canto perfume
• Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream
• FusionBeauty LipFusion Balm
• Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Conditioner

Don't get me wrong I love trying everything out but I am little bummed with this box - it just isn't me. I've tried adjusting my beauty profile on Birchbox.com but other choices don't fit me at all. Hopefully next month will be back on track!

What was in your Birchbox?

Update: After 5 days

Update: Removal 

I mentioned last week that I removed my acrylic nails after three years of going to the nail salon every 2-3 weeks to have them cut down, filled, and painted. I love having nice looking nails - even the slightest chip would have me repainting my nails, sometimes even a day after doing them myself, so acrylics suited me well. But frankly, I just got tired of the hassle - I spent at least an hour at the salon and sometimes that didn't include drying time. Something that was supposed to be relaxing was now just turning into a chore. And the cost -around $50 a month to maintain, sometimes more when I got a pedicure too.

After removing my nails last week - I've already painted them three times due to chipping and it was driving me nuts!

So I set out to solve this conundrum.

My Google searches all seemed to point me in the same direction: gel nail polish. Gel nail polish is like regular nail polish but it is cured with a UV or LED lamp to create a manicure that lasts up to two weeks with no chips. I thought gel manicures were only available at the salon with products like Shellac and axxium but lucky for me gel nail polish is now available at your local Wal-Mart.

Yep. Wal-Mart. What don't they sell there?


I found the Sensationail kit for $50 at Wally World (I looked at CVS too but no dice). While 50 bones seemed a tad bit expensive, the box said it was enough for 10 manicures so that works out to $5 a mani. And most other gel nail systems were much more expensive, somewhere around the $100 mark. And, after reading so many great reviews about the product I felt like it was a safe bet.

The kit came with a gel primer, gel base and top coat, gel cleaner, raspberry wine nail color, LED lamp, buffer, cuticle stick, and lint free wipes.

I was super excited when I got home to dive right and in and start painting but this is a type of product that you really want to follow the directions on for optimal results. But to my surprise the directions were relatively simple.

1. Shape and buff nails.
2. Use a lint free cloth and the gel cleaner to cleanse nails.
3. Swipe on a coat of gel primer and let air dry.
4. Paint a THIN coat of gel base onto nails staying clear of cuticles then cure under the lamp for 30 seconds.
5. Paint a THIN coat of nail color onto nails then cure under the lamp for 60 seconds. Repeat with a second coat of color and cure for 60 seconds.
6. Paint a THIN coat of gel top coat onto nails then cure under the lamp for 30 seconds.
7. Wipe nails with lint free cloth and gel cleaner to remove moisture layer.


At first glance it doesn't seem simple or quick and I'll admit my first thumbnail took me 10 minutes because I kept re-reading directions. But once I repeated the process it was SUPER quick. And the best part, my nails were instantly dry. Not kinda dry where you have to avoid picking up your keys or rooting through your purse. I'm talking 100%, send a text message, dig to the bottom of your purse, D-R-Y.



I think I'm in love. My nails are super shiny and look like they came straight from the salon. The box says up to two weeks of "dazzling damage proof wear" so I'll just have to wait and see but I'm pretty positive it's going to last. I'll be sure and report back in a few days.

Removal might be a different story but again I think following the directions are key. I'll have to soak my nails in acetone for about 15 minutes before the color will budge but we'll just have to wait and see.

P.S. This was just my experience with this product, Sensationail (Nailene) does not know who I am nor asked me to promote their product. I just love sharing great stuff!


Linking up with:

Living Social has a great deal going on for a 12 month subscription to E-meals. What's E-Meals? They are menu plans based on diet preferences and weekly specials in your area for major grocery stores (like Wal-Mart and Whole Foods) for around $50-75. I felt like this was too good of an offer pass up, regular price is $58 for a year subscription and Living Social is offering it for $29. Check out the offer here

Friday, glad to see you again!

I'm linking up with Lauren over at From My Grey Desk for her High Five for Friday party.



Here are my top five favorite things about this week in no particular order:


1. I planned all of my lessons until the end of school and copies will be made for said lessons by the end of today. Boo-yah!

2. Grey's mother f'n Anatomy! Holy moly, did anyone watch last night? I am always one of those people who never sees obvious things coming. My boyfriend was practically bursting the last 5 minutes of the show because he figured it out before I did. Can't wait for next week!

3. My final grade was posted for my grad class - 144.5 out of 145 points. Darn APA citations got me on my research plan. I was always more of an MLA gal :)

4. I'm officially team leader at school next year. I'm excited about this new position and hopefully having a positive impact on how our team operates.

5. We're in the single digits baby! Only 8 more days of school until summer vacation - which looks as though it will be an actual vacation, no summer school for this gal...although not for lack of trying - my class just couldn't get enough students enrolled.




Have a great weekend!

It's Wednesday, time for a look at some pins I've collected through the last week...probably my most random sampling yet, swimwear, prints, and handy tips.















Like what you see? You can follow me on Pinterest and see more good stuff on the daily.

Pin anything good lately? Link up with The Vintage Apple and leave me a comment so I can check them out!