What to do on a rainy day?

Tropical Depression Debby totally messed up our weekend! We were supposed to have a BBQ Saturday afternoon/evening with friends we hadn't seen in months and that got cancelled, plus all the other fun outdoor activities that typically happen on the weekends got washed away too. So, I ask myself what to do on a rainy weekend?

 Well, we finally had an excuse to stay in the house and catch up on Mad Men. We had heard all the buzz, but never had found the time to download the first season and start watching. Wow! It is good and sure is addicting. As the rain continues to pour, I am going to try out some new recipes in the kitchen. I have pinned so many delicious treats on Pinterest and I haven't given myself anytime to try them out. I am thinking a good rainy day in the kitchen will be perfect. I will blast some music on i-tunes put on my apron and get to work! :) Mizner Park put in an ipic theatre a few months ago and it is seriously the ultimate movie going experience. It is the best way to see a movie; you have a waitress, reclining seat, blanket, pillow and popcorn. It is great for a rainy night out with another couple or just a date night.

In order to stay dry in this rainy Florida weather you must carry an umbrella at all times, own a raincoat and rain boots is must as well! I have attached a few photos of some "rain wear" because although your hair might frizz and your make-up might run, you can still look cute in rain gear.

Rain Boots with Hunter "Fleece Welly" Socks :)

Rain Boots with Rain Coat

Rain Boots with Red Pants

iPic Theatre

Stay Dry,

Wardrobe Wednesday 6/20/12

This Wednesday snuck up on me pretty quick. I guess with all the tutoring, working out and cleaning these summer days go by very quick. I took the easy way out and I picked an outfit from a few weeks ago. It is super practical and affordable, so I thought it might be a good post.

Dress: Anthropologie

Clutch: Target

Shoes: CottonOn (Australian store)

Jewelry: Gifts



Wardrobe Wednesday is BAAACCCKKK!

Okay, so yes now that I am back into the blogging thing I thought I should bring back Wardrobe Wednesday. It is so silly, but I have to say many of my sweet girlfriends have been asking about it (probably just to be nice). I picked an outfit to post from Marco Island.

Here it goes...

Black Tank: American Apparel

Black Top: Forever Twenty-One

Skirt: Lohemann's

Shoes: CottonOn

Watch: Michael Kors

Bracelet: Nordstrom

Earrings: Pizzaz

Two Years Already?!?!

We started our anniversary weekend on Friday night. We drove over to the other coast of Florida. Marco Island to be exact. Dave and I always like to explore new territory together and since neither of us had been to Marco we thought this would be the perfect spot. We hardly ever like to go back to the same places we've been. Although, we did talk about going back to the same resort we got married at in Mexico for our 5 or 10 year anniversary. So, with that being said we drove two hours over to the Marriott Marco Island Resort and Spa. It truly was a paradise. We checked in and they immediately made us feel like we were on vacation. They couldn't upgrade our room until Saturday which was fine because we just wanted to grab a quick dinner and get to bed. We explored the resort right away and realized that besides a full spa, the resort had two huge pools and five restaurants. We picked the the Italian one the first night and enjoyed some red wine in plastic wine glasses on the patio. Saturday we relaxed by the pool, took a beach walk and drank some tropical cocktails in the sun. We were able to move into our upgraded room which had an incredible view right away Saturday which was convenient. After all our sun for the day, we hurried up to the room, showered and changed and enjoyed champagne (which we brought), cheese and crackers on the balcony while watching the sunset. It was the most romantic way to spend our anniversary weekend. We reminisced about the wedding; laughing at all the funny things that happened that weekend in Mexico. We had plans to leave our property for dinner, but after we finished the bottle of champagne we decided we should just eat at the steak house in our hotel. We had a delicious meal with more wine and then settled in for the night. On Sunday, we decided we should try the spa. We took an early morning beach walk and then spent the rest of the morning indulging in the amenities. We then headed out into the sun to enjoy the rest of the day. We ventured off the property for dinner that night and we really stuffed our faces beyond belief. Monday was our day to leave. We grabbed breakfast on the way out of Marco Island. When we got back to Boca, we treated ourselves to manicures and pedicures (yes, Dave too). Then we spent the evening laughing and crying (happy tears) while watching our rehearsal dinner slide show and wedding video. Last year was Europe and this year was Marco Island. Every year brings something new and fun!! I am so lucky to have married the man of dreams.

Cleaning, Organizing and Sorting OH MY

Well, I decided at 5pm yesterday to attempt to clean out the pantry. It has been driving me crazy since we moved in our condo 7 years ago. The space is soooo small. Last summer I thought maybe I would have California Closets come out and help transform it to something more user friendly. Well, I found out that they really couldn't do much with the space we had. So, this summer I was on a mission to reorganize it to make it more visually appealing as well as accessible. I am so happy with my outcome. I used some inspiration from pinterest and got to work. I started by taking everything out of the pantry. I then did some research and went online and read that you should really not store pantry food products more than two to four months and with that being said I did a lot of pitching and through away tons of food. I think I filled two full trash bags of garbage and two full trash bags of recycling. Then I hit up Walmart. I found BPA free plastic containers to store all my baking essentials for a great price. I read that storing dried foods in heavy plastic, screw-top glass or metal containers is the best in keeping pantry pests out. I really wanted to buy glass containers, but I had trouble finding them and I realized that one day when we have little ones running around in the kitchen that shatterproof plastic would probably be the best option. After moving what I had left over into containers, I cleaned out the shelves and put down duck non-adhesive white solid grip shelf liner. Finally, I put everything back on the shelves and then headed to the computer. I made my own kitchen labels, printed them off and stuck them on all the containers.....ahhhh. By this time it was about 11pm. Finally I felt accomplished. Take a look at the before and after photos.

 

 

 

 This is the BEFORE photo...total disaster!

 Cleaning out the closet

 The big mess

 The AFTER photo

 Organization

Labels

 

 

Oh and while I was at it, I picked up a glass jar and marbles from the dollar store to organize my make-up brushes too! This little project took under two minutes. I was inspired again by pinterest. I had the glittery stickers at home to add to the look!

 

Get your brush on

 

 

Here we go again....

I took a total hiatus from the blogging thing! Can’t believe it has been a year since I’ve been on here.

Here I go at it again…..

I finished up my last year teaching Junior Kindergarten. I can’t believe I have already taught three years of Junior Kindergarten. Leaving Junior Kindergarten is bittersweet. I am leaving behind my teaching partner and my team. We have been through our ups and downs and have grown stronger over the years and so it is always hard to say good-bye.  I am actually moving up in the world and skipping kindergarten all together (well, I guess I did teach it for 4 years a few moons ago).  I have graduated onto first grade. I can’t wait for this new adventure. I know it will be a lot of work teaching a new grade with a new curriculum, but I couldn’t be more excited. Every once in a while you need to spice it up a bit.

Now that it is summer, I have my eyes set on many things!! I am obsessed with Pinterest. So, I decided that once school got out I would try to take some of the ideas and tips I saw on Pinterest and incorporate them in my home. I will be breaking out the creative side. I want to clean, clean, clean!!! I actually already started this the day school got out!  It’s funny how many teachers can’t wait to kick up their feet and relax with a book or a cool beverage as soon as we leave school. Not me!! I am a strange bird- I ran home to change into scrubs and literally took my fridge apart. I have cleaned every inch of my kitchen. I then continued to move on to other rooms of the house. It is such an accomplishment once you are done. As well as a cleaning, I will be organizing too. It is total therapy for me! Another must is focusing on my health. I am going to be doing Yoga again and Boot Camp. I also want to engage in a cleanse and detox. Any advice in this area is totally welcome!!! I have some appointments I am booking for massages, facials and acupuncture. I want to take a sewing class since it has been so long since I have sewed (like middle school – Home Ec 101). I need a major refresher course. Dave and I are going to be traveling to Marco Island, Florida to celebrate our two year anniversary! We are going to engage in some water activities, sunbathing and relaxing!  I have my mind set to do a “Turtle Walk” this summer on the beach. It is where you go out at night with an organized group and watch the baby sea turtles hatch and find their way back to the ocean. I can’t even imagine what a miracle this would be to see in person. One thing that I am counting down the days ‘till is visiting my new baby niece in North Carolina. I will be going out at the end of July for six days!!! This will be a great time for me to get one on one time with my nephew and give my sister-in-law a little break. We already have plans to go to the pool, bike ride, Monkey Joes, etc. In between all these fun activities I will be tutoring seven kids ages 6-11!! I am really looking forward to keeping them on track this summer using fun educational activities and games. I hope to find time to pick up a few fun reads, cook some good homemade meals and escape to the beach.

 Well, off to shower and dinner with friends! Tomorrow I am running a 5K and then headed to a good-bye brunch for a girlfriend and hosting a Supper Club at night. This summer is off to a busy start and I LOVE It!

Back in Action....

Well, it has been quite some time since my last post. The end of the school year craziness always gets me. No matter how much I anticipate the stress and try to eliminate the work, it never ceases to amaze me that I am always left with a huge amount of stuff to do! After school got out for the summer on June 3rd, Dave and I wasted no time and headed off for two weeks to Europe! It was a memorable adventure. We started out in Italy, a place that neither of us had traveled too. We explored Rome inside and out and fell in love with the history of the city and all the ruins. We then headed south to Naples. We discovered our best meals here; the pizza and gelato where exquisite on our palates. We ventured off to Capri, Positano and the Amalfi Coast for day trips. The beauty in this part of the world was breathtaking. We then flew over to Nice, France. I loved the Flower Market and one day we even bought fruits, veggies, and the fixings for sandwiches (fresh bread, prosciutto, and cheese) and took a picnic to the beach. We also got to see a bit of the Italian Riviera. We finished our stay in Monaco, a magnificent fairy tale country. It was the most amazing trip and first wedding anniversary.

We returned back to the states where I jumped back into tutoring, enrolling in a yoga class, joining Zumba with some of my colleagues and scrapbooking. Before I knew it, it was July and we were off to spend Fourth of July in Raleigh, North Carolina. We spent this long weekend with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law as well as the cutest nephew, Roark. We had so much fun going off to a festival, hanging at the pool and just having some nice family time.

Now, it is the end of July and I am off to my last trip of the summer. I am headed back to Kansas to visit family, friends and attend my 10 year high school reunion. When I get back, I will only have a few short weeks before school will begin. August will be a busy month, I'm helping to throw a bridal shower and we have a handful of friends coming to visit. I am excited to get back into blogging. I am not sure when I will start back up with my Wardrobe Wednesdays again, but I promise to try to post one soon!

North Carolina Pictures Below