The Witching Hour…

With Halloween coming up this weekend I am getting very excited to help at Kristina’s Gala on Friday and dress up.  Can you guess what I’m going as??? More on the blog next week as I talk about my experiences with Rent the Runway!

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Riding Solo on the Meal Train!

Believe it or not, two of my friends had babies last week only one day apart.  Both had precious little boys and seeing pictures of them with their new bundles sent me back to the time when Miles was born four short months ago.  There were so many things to adjust to, and so many things to learn.  Everyone wanted to meet him and I was busy recovering from my c-section.  It was all A LOT to handle.

So, I thought about what meant most to me at the time.  My best friend set up a meal train and we had dinner for an entire week.  I felt so relieved to not even have to worry about ordering food.  It was just there, and it came on different days so we weren’t overstocked.

I told my new Mommies to hold onto their pants!  I was headed over this weekend with dinner for their family.  Here’s what I made:

Lasagna:  This lasagna was packed with ricotta cheese, beef, sausage, hand-crushed plum tomatoes, garlic, peppers and onions.  This was my favorite meal from our meal train because it kept giving and giving.  I got the nutrients I needed and it was quick and easy every time I reheated it.

Spring Mix Salad:  I LOOOOVE my salads.  I’m not a huge fan of making them, though.  A few of our meals came with salads and I was overjoyed.

Good Seasons Dressing Cruet and mix:  This dressing is THE BOMB!  I thought….why not!

Crusty Bread:  Ummmm….who doesn’t want crusty bread 24/7?

Autumn Fruit Salad:  Those of you who have had babies know that it’s very important to keep things regular!  This salad had apples, pears, grapes, candied pecans and an amazing cinnamon-maple greek yogurt dressing for an extra kick of protein.  I found the recipe on www.kitchentreaty.com

All in all it was a success!  Both families were overjoyed and I was happy I could bring something to them that made things easier in this new chapter of their lives.  Plus, it was a great excuse to meet their new baby boys.

5 Minute Mommy Makeup

I hate waking up early, especially now that the temperatures are dropping and it’s still dark when I wake up.  So, I’ve adjusted my morning routine so that I can gain a extra half hour of zzz’s!  I’ve started showering and picking out my outfit the night before and I’ve tweeked my make up routine to save a little extra time.  Check out my 5 minute mommy makeup routine:

Step 1-Apply a moisturizer, I’ve always been a Ponds girl but since the girls were born I’ve started using Johnson and Johnson’s Baby Lotion. I find that my makeup lasts a bit longer when I use a moisturizer before applying anything else.

Step 2-Apply a fountain; my favorite cosmetic line is ELF Cosmetics.  Their products are made well and are extremely affordable.  I use their e.l.f. Studio Flawless Finish Foundation.  It covers all my imperfections, I still have some pregnancy mask on my forehead and this is the only foundation that I have found that covers it.

Step 3-Apply a bronzer.  I live and breath bronzer.  It is an absolute must for my pale skin.  I’ve found that e.l.f Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder works best on my skin.  It’s not too dark and blends very easily.

Step 4-Apply blush. I love bareMinerals blush.  It’s light and blends great!

Step 5-Fill in and powder eyebrows.  Like most girls, I over-plucked my eyebrows when I was younger.  That mixed with fair hair makes for a nonexistent brow line.  I have to be really attentive when I fill them in because its easy to make them too dark and I end up looking a little crazy!  I love e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit.  It’s very easy to use and super easy to blend.

 

Step 6-Apply eye makeup. This is where I find I save the most time.  Most days I only apply eyeliner and mascara, but if I have a little extra I’ll put on a little eyeshadow.  I usually only line the inside of my lashline, it brightens my eyes and saves me the headache of messing up my eyeliner on my lid.  Mascara is the one piece of makeup that I use every single day, so when I find a good one I use it forever!  I love e.l.f. Studio Kohl Eyeliner and e.l.f. Studio Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara.

There you have it; my 5 minute mommy makeup routine.  Quick, easy and beautiful!f

throwback thursday

I thought it would be funny to take a look back on the 5andwhiner’s in a #tbt tribute to my best girls!

Cheers to you guys!

Double Fun

  

My plans to finish Ainsley’s Halloween costume this weekend were sent to the bottom of my to-do-list when my friend, Jael, welcomed her two twin boys into the world on Saturday.  Reid and Cooper are just the cutest!  

 

Hold onto your hats until next week when the final reveal will take place. Have a great week, loves! 

Making meals while making due

Sometimes I feel compelled to make something new and delicious, so I start searching the net with a few key ingredients I know I have in my freezer or refrigerator.  If I find something I want to make, but I don’t have all the right stuff, I don’t let it stop me. Most of the time, I substitute ingredients with things I like more, anyway, so I never follow a recipe to the T.  Last night I found this Spaghetti Squash Casserole Recipe and I substituted the following:
1 cup canned diced tomatoes – I had fresh tomato
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese – I had swiss cheese slices and only had 5 – about 1/2 cup
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley – I had dried

The recipe didn’t call for garlic or sour cream, but I added those.  The sour cream was substituting for the lack of cheese.  I needed a full-flavored element.  The garlic was just because garlic makes everything taste better.

It was fabulous.  The ground beef tasted good but could easily be substituted out with another protein.  This dish would even taste good with salmon or chicken.  Actually, you didn’t really need a protein at all.

sorry for the boogie wipes in the background! #momprobs

Currently lusting over…

The weather this week has been nothing short of perfect! Sunny and cool, with a nice fall breeze. The leaves are changing and it’s just cool enough that the heat needs to be turned on first thing in the morning. The cool weather has me lusting over some fall gear for me and the girls. Check out the fall items I am currently lusting over!

Top Left: Old Navy Fleece Ruffle Hem Top for Baby

Bottom Left: Charming Charlie Hematite Organic Druzy Pendent Necklace

Middle: Old Navy Colorblock Baseball Cap  

Top Right: Target Toddler Girls’ Cherokee Diem Sweater Cuff Boots

Bottom Right:H&M Padded Jacket

DIY Office Decor

On a recent trip to IKEA I decided to pick up a few items to spruce up my new office.  I came across a few things and managed to spend less than $10 bucks on all the items.  I moved last Monday and previously my office did not have much space to decorate.  I picked up these very inexpensive boxes and figured I could store things in them or at the very least they could just look cute on my book shelves but they needed a little something!

Supplies:

Small and Large Smarassel boxes

DIY decor large washi tape in gold dots

Credit Card to smooth out wrinkles

Also patience that is key

Below are my step by step photos of how to assemble which took me a total of 20mins:)

Note: This washi tape is super sticky!! But you can peel it off and keep redoing it until there are so many wrinkles you have to throw that piece away!

What have you done to spruce up your office??

Jellybean

My little lady has a nickname, Jellybean.  I’m not sure how it happened or where it came from, but she’s the sweetest treat I ever did meet. 

With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to challenge myself with a new craft project; creating Ainsley’s costume. I collected my supplies this weekend, but it’s been a slow process with all of the “extra” things going on at our house at the moment. I’ll be back next week to share an update…or hopefully the finished product. 🙂 In the meantime, here are some clues about the materials I’ve been working with. (Remember- I love my little jellybean!)

Supplies:   

  

  

Any guesses? 🙂

Happy Fall to All

At home this past week I was able to get a lot of the research side of things out of the way for our big day!  It’s been so fun having my sisters and mother be apart and feels like a relief to have some unknowns out of the way!  Soon I will be all set with vendors and winding down to focus fully on the details!

A week of wedding planning :

Date – Check!

Venue- Check!

Dress- Check!

Rehearsal Dinner and dress- Check!

Rental Quotes- Check!

Photographer- Check!

Catering and Cake- Check!

Win a free engagement photo session- Check!

Stay tuned next week for my Bridal Party Announcement!