Quatro de Mayo

A few weekends ago, the fabulous Jen hosted a Quatro de Mayo party in honor of being selected to host a catered Qdoba party and just to celebrate with great friends.

We were greeted with a tower of:

Jen certainly had the party flowing all night.  Qdoba had provided her with the above glasses, 3 tins full of their meats, endless tortilla chips, and all the fixings.

 

We then all gathered in front of the Blues playoff game (boo we lost) and played Cards Against Humanity:

If you haven't heard of this game, think of Apples to Apples but with a twist.  Its as despicable and awkward as you and your friends can get.  You get a lot of fun convo going when you play this.  Check it out, you can download the game or buy it and try it out yourself.  I guarantee you'll be laughing...and thinking!

A great night with great friends ~ what more could a girl ask for?

9 pictures

9 pictures of Keith & I.

We started dating in January of 2007 so we've been together for almost 7 years, married for almost 2.  I think I can weed through all the pictures ;)

Our first roadtrip/wedding.  I had two friends in June 2007 getting married the exact same day, one in the middle of the state, one back in STL.  It was a fun weekend and we made it to both!

Keith loves karaoke and tried out for Harrah's Lucky Break, a local competition.  He sang J.Giles Band's Centerfold.  If you want to see the actual performance, here's the link: Keith on Lucky Break

Keith's first canoe/fishing trip on the Current River in Southern Missouri.  We survived...barely! ;)

Friend's wedding

Camping at Alley Spring 

Keith's surprise 30th birthday party - the first party anyone ever threw for him!  I did good :)

Crown Valley Winery, where Keith proposed in 2010

Our wedding day - such a great party!

Our two honeymoons - a mini one to Memphis & a bigger one to Disney

 

And many more pictures to come!

What 9 pictures do you hold close to your heart?

DIY Glass etching

My stepsister Amy is marrying her love Brian in the Riviera Maya in July - hence my trip to Mexico.

We both share a love for wine and I wanted to do something special and unique for her bridal shower, especially since she did the same for me back in 2011.

I searched around, got a few ideas from Pinterest and her registry and came up with personalized wine & beer glasses.  I never realized just how easy it is to etch something.

Amy loves wine and Brian loves beer so I decided to do a set of each.  You will need the glasses (found at Dollar Tree), rubbing alcohol, Armor Etch (found at Hobby Lobby), paint brush and stickers/cutout of what you want to etch.  I decided to use "A" "heart" "B" on each one.

You first wash the glasses with rubbing alcohol - I used cotton balls then dried with a regular towel.  This ensures that all the flying dust the glasses may have attracted are off.

Then place your stickers where you would like them. I did a diagonal design and used a piece of tape to place them equally from the top of the glass.  Once placed, use the brush to put a very generous amount of the armor etch on the stickers.

The armor etch says let it sit for 15 min - I did it for 30 after reading some other people's experiences with it.  When the time is up, you wash off the etch cream in running water and take the stickers off.

You may see some stickiness from the stickers, just rub it away.  Amy's wedding colors are royal blue and tan so I added a piece of tissue paper to each one and voila, DIY etching.

She also registered for these cute wine charms so I added them to the gift:

Only thing you have to be sure of, is when you wrap it, that the box doesn't get turned upside down unless you really pack in the tissue or whatever you wrap it with because the glasses will break.  She almost did that at the shower and I had warned people at my table if you see her doing it, tell her to stop and it was funny when we all chimed "stop" at one point when she was opening it.

I'm very excited for my next project...more on that later :)

Goodbye Its OK!

Today is the last Its OK Thursday so I needed to link up.

Its been a good run to link with the host ladies and I can't wait to see if they come up with something just as fun.

Until then...



It's OK...

...to be excited to be off from my PT job on a Thursday night (and my normal Fri & Sat)

...to see my 2nd ever MLS game tonight when Manchester City and Chelsea visit St. Louis

...to be undecided about an upcoming trip

...to have the major stuff purchased for Mexico...now time to make a list of what to get for Keith and the minor stuff

...to hope that we can get everything into one suitcase and one carry-on for the trip.

...to want to just craft all day (and I plan on it soon)

...to not have logged into Pinterest in few weeks - I'm shocked myself!

...to already have Father's Day bought for :)

...that Operation Workout has been in full force and its awesome :)

What are you OK with this week??

10 Things that make me happy

So excited for a new round of Tuesday Topics.

10 things that make me happy...in no particular order:

10) The Rocky Mountains

9) Disney

8) Camping

7) Scrapbooking

6) My friends

5)  My family

4)  Working out

3)  Teaching

2)  St. Louis Blues hockey

1)  My husband

It's OK!

This is the last full week of school for the districts I'm in and my days have been so off.

I'm glad its Thursday but it surely doesn't feel like it.



It's OK...

...that I have a PT job that I can't always take off from.  I get it, its life.  Other people in my life aren't getting that.

...that said PT job is just that, a job - not my career.

...that I'm tired of everything happening to me.

...that my sister has moved on from above job into her career.  I wish her luck but now I have no one to vent to.

...that all I want to do is scrapbook all day.

...that everywhere I turn in my house, all I see is a mess.

...that I'm uber excited that my brother's family is moving down here in 23 days.

...that I need to clean clean clean before Girls Night tomorrow.

...that operation Mexico is in full force!

What are you OK with?

Disney's Newest Princess

Being the huge Disney fan I am, I was excited to see that the Disney Royal Court officially added Merida as a princess at Magic Kingdom over the weekend.

She is now the 11th Disney Princess:

If there's anything that makes my heart smile, its Disney.

Congrats to Merida!!

all images courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Quotable Tuesday

Guess what...Its OK!

Read today that It's OK Thursday will be ending at the end of the month so I'm going to enjoy the last few times to link up.



Its OK...

...to be pissed that the only time I try to ask for a favor, people don't acknowledge that I asked.  I will move on but won't forget.

...to want a day off after working 16 hours for 3 days straight.

...to be mad when I walked into the kitchen and walked on jalapeno chip crumbs (thanks dear hubby).  I know what I have to do today :/

...to be super excited for the Elite event tomorrow night - expect a post!

...to know I have some posts to write and haven't had a chance to.

...to hope something positive happens with a few things that have been going on lately.

...to hope July gets here FAST - I need a vacation bad.

What are you OK with?

Grant's Farm

One of the best gems in St. Louis is Grant's Farm.

In 1859, the 18th President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, founded and farmed a portion of the 281 acres.  Today we know it as Grant's Farm and it is preserved as a living symbol of the Busch family's love for animals and Anheuser-Busch's commitment to wildlfe conservation and preservation.

We live 5 miles away from this gorgeous place and went on Saturday for the first of many visits of the season.

The grounds have a deer park, a tier garden, Grant's Cabin, the Bauernhof and of course the stables for the Clydesdales.  The kiddos can feed the goats (which is hilarious to watch) and the adults can have a few AB samples.  There are a ton of animals and lots of walking around the grounds.

Its right off Grant's Trail so usually what we will do is bike the trail to Kirkwood then on our way back, stop at the farm for a cool down and a drink.  This particular day we parked and watched the soccer games at the high school across the street then walked into the park.

I love St. Louis gems.  Its so fun to be out and about.

Stay tuned for more as the days go by!

Let Me Tell You Something

This week I'm reviewing:


Goodreads says:
Red-hot advice from the redhead who doesn't pull any punches

Mother, wife, and fan favorite Caroline Manzo has been through it all as one of the original breakout stars of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The explosive and addicting reality series has seen some of the craziest moments in Real Housewives history, but Caroline has managed to set herself apart as the levelheaded, fiercely loyal, and down-to-earth member of the cast.

Now for the first time, Caroline, who is known for her no-nonsense advice, "tells you something" about what it really takes to juggle three kids and a husband (and still maintain your sanity), all while living in the spotlight. Her wisdom on family, life, and love, and her shockingly honest confessions about beauty, body image, and even plastic surgery, resonate with women of every generation. Equal parts funny, sincere, and revealing, Caroline exposes the sweeter, more reflective side of herself that fans of the show might not always see.

Filled with personal stories, family photos, and Caroline's characteristic humor, Let Me Tell You Something gives fans and readers an all-access, behind-the-scenes pass into the lives of this real New Jersey housewife and her family, where honest advice and practical life lessons are served up as only Caroline can. With her contagious, positive attitude and tips for success sprinkled throughout the book, readers will fall in love with their favor- ite housewife all over again.

I say:
Unlike the other Housewives book I reviewed not too long ago, this book is an advice book, more so than a book that trashes her coworkers.  I love Mama Manzo and she's raised her kids the best that she could.  She has a great husband and her life is pretty real.  She doesn't take the bull**** that the other costars dool out on the show.  If you are wanting a book that dishes gossip, this is not for you; if you'd like a book that tells you how such and such was done in her life, then yes this is for you.  And overall if you're a Housewives fan, you'll want to read it!

I gave it 4 stars on my Goodreads list.

What are you reading this week?

Changing this a bit

I'm changing it a bit because things after things keep happening that just aren't OK:

It's not OK....

...to demand respect from people when they don't give it to you.

...to not tell your friend's wife the details of a trip you are taking him on out of state.  What if something happens and I need to get a hold of my husband?  Its called common courtesy.

...to book a hotel that, when you Google it, its known for bed bugs.  I swear that someone is going to get hurt if bedbugs come into my house Sunday night and its not going to be my husband.

...to book above hotel yet tell me that you are taking your own sheets to change the beds because you feel that's the best thing do to.  Umm how about paying for a different hotel?

...to say that everyone has had bedbugs at some point in their life - again wrong!

...to have a bachelor party for someone when wedding date is supposedly a year away...and not even set yet.

...to expect an out of town travel agent that one's stepsister finds randomly online, to do the job sufficiently   Let's just say the wrong credit card was used and the lady has yet to contact me about the error I informed her that she made.

...for the bank to tell me that a credit card is still available to use until a certain date when in reality it is not.

I know, just breathe, its almost the weekend!

Have a happy day!

If that doesn't make you smile, then I don't know what will.

Have a great Wednesday!