4 in 14 April - Project

Back around Christmas time I saw this fun idea on Pinterest to leave little gifts on your neighbors doors. For some reason I decided it would be fun to do it again for Easter. I thought it would be fun to leave little egg on the doorsteps for our neighbors with treats inside.

Printed "tags"

I started by printing a few sheets of these little "labels" on some pastel computer paper. 

All Trimmed

Thank you straight trimmer for making cutting these little guys a breeze. So far I think this project is about five minutes in and I am almost done. Loving that. Now for the treats....

Yum!!

I bought the assorted bag of non-melting candy. We already have temperatures in excess of ninety so chocolate was out of the question. We sorted it out so that no one person would get all the same thing. 

Pink!

Each of these little eggs held five little candy treats in them. The left over was my daughter's favorite part, as she is a fan of the Bottlecap candies. The last piece of the puzzle was to put the little strips in the eggs. 

Egged!

We folded it a little bit so that the "From the" part was tucked inside and all that showed was the "You have been egged" part. Our original plan was to leave them for people to wake up to Good Friday morning, but life got away from us. So instead the next morning they were found. My husband and daughter really enjoy their "ninja" skills slinking through the neighborhood delivery these.

4 in 14 April - Recipe

So this week I decided to "steal" from my husband his invention for dinner. Very tasty, and kind of pretty to look at. I think we may need to have this for dinner again soon!

4 in 14 April

So, March was a bust. I had trouble just getting in one post. For those close to me, that comes as no surprise. My personal life has been craziness finding out my kiddo isn't well. Our family has undergone a serious life change. That being said, in an effort to regain some sort of normal I am trying to get back on track with my blog.

So back to my pretty shelf....

I scored all these items a while back at Hobby Lobby. The eggs came in a four pack, and are printed burlap. I love the little ceramic animals.

My Stitch Fix #2

It came!! Another cute little box with the lovely Stitch Fix logo. Again, promised myself I would try on everything. Excuse the slightly fuzzy photos. This time it was the kiddo as photog and she's still learning. I should also mention, I don't look at the price sheet until after I try on, since I don't want cost to be my only deciding factor if I really love a piece. And I know me......that would sway me.

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Rylin Pintuck Detailed Silk Blouse
$78.00

My first thought was that this looks pretty much exactly like item #1 in Fix #1. This one is black and that one was navy, but they are essentially the same and if you recall I returned that one as well.

Returned.

Hydie Geo Print Crochet Detail Blouse
$68.00

Same style....again. And not a flattering style for me. Also the black shoulders are a crochet type panel and the bra straps were showing. I. HATE. THAT. The fabric pattern was just so-so. I am not super in to the geometric patterns that seems popular right now.

Bye-Bye

Pierson Lace Detailed Short Sleeve Shirt
$48.00

Not a huge fan of lace or mint. And again, the bra strap issue. I did like that this was an actual short sleeve, which I had asked for, instead of sleeveless.

See-Ya

Hailey Geo Print Tie Waist Dress
$58.00

I didn't even bother to put shoes on and "style" it as they suggest because laying out I really liked it and was sure about this one. Then I looked in the mirror and thought......oh, what a cute potato sack. Sniffle. I was a little sad.

Tear Filled Goodbye



If you are familiar with Stitch Fix you are probably looking for photo number 5 right now. Scroll on back up to the first three pictures. The jeans were the fifth item. Johnny Skinny Jeans. I love skinny jeans with my boots. They were the right length, SOFT, stretch and comfy, smaller pockets on the bum (which makes a gal's bum look better) and fit like they were custom made for me. It was love. I was sure they were my new favorite jeans.
$88.00
I cried a little when they went back in the return envelope.

My Stitch Fix

Thank you Randi for telling me about this awesome thing called Stitch Fix. It was like Christmas when the box showed up, and I couldn't wait to see what they chose for me.

So, first let me just say that I do not pose for photos well. Don't. Never have, never will. So, no commentary on the weird face I am making in at least several of these pics. Also, it had been a rough day at work hence the rockin' ponytail I am sporting. Don't judge.

With that.....here we go!!

Hubby was trying to make me laugh

Esten Button Up Sleeveless Blouse
$54.00
Navy

Sorry the picture is so dark, but this shirt is Navy and it has tiny hidden buttons down the front. The fabric was amazing. So super soft. I did not like that it was sheer and would have required a tank underneath. Also, this shirt hung so loose that I felt like it made my stomach look larger than it is.

Returned

Yup, still trying to make me laugh. Sigh. 

 Burlington Ruffle Overlay Sleeveless Blouse
$48.00
Pink

Way.Too.Big. Again, fabric was soft and it was super cute - before I tried it on. This was nicer than the blue one in that it had a liner inside for modesty sake.

Returned

Colibri Solid Tab Sleeve Blouse
$48.00
Green

Loved that this has the buttons on the sleeve to hold them up short. Loved that it was nice and long. Didn't love that it was so big. That loose top, legging look just doesn't seem to fit my shape well. I did look in the mirror at this one for a bit trying to decide, and ultimately I just didn't "love it $48.00 worth".

Returned

Did I mention I hate posing?

Cassandra Tailored Button Up Shirt
$28.00
White

When I opened the box this was my second favorite piece. Nice heavy fabric, great structure, fitted, totally me. Sadly, my "girls" just didn't agree. The button puckered at the chest and from the side there was no mystery left to anything. I was the most sad about this one not working out.

Returned

Camelot Stripe & Polka Dot Cardigan
$28.00
Navy

#1 fave piece! Love cardigans. It's an obsession. Blue is my favorite color. Machine washable. The sleeves are really long so I can pull them down over my hands - I really like that in a sweater. I think the combo of stripe & polka dots is fun and different. And I couldn't argue with the price point.

This baby stayed with me!

I liked this one so much I actually posed for a fun pic!

Being Silly!

So, overall I was a little sad that I kept only one piece.....but on the other hand my wallet was happy I only kept one piece. :)
And I am loving the piece I got. Too bad it was 85 degrees today and I wore a dress. :(
From the overall experience the best part was just the idea of having to step out of my comfort zone - the idea that I WILL try on everything no matter what it is was a little exciting to me. It felt like my own little version of Stacey & Clinton shopping with me.

I can't wait until my next fix gets here at the end of March. Stay tuned!!

4 in 14 February - Project

For our Valentine's this year we did some searching on Pinterest. There were lots and lots of ideas. Obviously we could only pick one. Bummer! We were armed with a couple different ideas when we went to the store.
Lil' Miss was super pleased to discover this little gem of information - Kool-Aid doesn't have sodium.

Red is her favorite, but we got an assortment

 These six packs were only $1 each. So, for $4 I bought everything I needed for a class full of Valentine's. Not too shabby if you ask me. Once we got back home, it was super quick and easy to make them.

Made on my computer, printed & cut out. 

These only took a second to make, and Lil' Miss picked the colors, words, and border clipart.
Then came assembly:

Love curling ribbon!!

The transportation was a concern, because this was heavier than it looked. So I just happened to have an old file box sitting under my work table from a previous cleaning adventure.

Perfect Fit!

Easy tote handle!

The box was still heavy, and she had to take in her treats for the party. Luckily enough we had parent-teacher conference the night before. So, we took the tote and left it on her desk. Valentine mission accomplished.

4 in 14 February - Recipe

My daughter has been asking, and asking, and asking for Shepard's Pie. Now, I will say that I myself find Shepard's Pie to be delicious. In order to keep it from getting dry, I start with a base of cream corn. Or at least I used to. Did you know there is 400mg of sodium in 1/2 cup?!?!? What!!

The other issue is the cheese. Did you know there is 170mg in just one ounce (Approx 1 slice) of cheddar? For someone who loves to pile on the cheese, this was a problem for sure. So, I did measure out one ounce using a food scale. That was not very much cheese at all. So, our Swiss had only 60mg per ounce. Hence the cheese blend was born.

Current total 240mg

Meat & Potatoes....good to go here.

Current total still 240mg

Now, back to this pesky cream corn.

Thank you Google for being helpful and finding me this cream corn recipe.

 I gathered together the ingredients and did some calculations.

Measured Out

Now, if you read the recipe you will note that salt is listed. Obviously this is not ok for us. So, I left it out. Also, grated Parmesan has 100mg for just a Tbsp and this recipe calls for 1/4 cup. Nope. Deleted. 

The milk cost me 120mg and cream a whole whopping 5mg. 

Current total 365mg 

I was a little nervous going in to this, but here we go....

Ready to Cook

Cream Added and Cooking

All Done, and Not Too Bad!

This total made a 9x9 glass pan - which is the normal size I make for my family. 

Now, let's do some more math....

365mg for the pan / 6 equal size servings cut = 61mg for dinner.