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Friday Favorites

Just when I think I couldn’t be any happier to see Friday… I become happier than ever to see Friday!

Favorite #ONE

Living in Florida!

After a brief chat with a colleague in Missouri today, it was brought to my attention [once again] that I am blessed to be living in the sunshine state!

Although we are expecting rain tomorrow night, there will likely be more beautiful weather than not this season!

 

Favorite #TWO

Spending time with this little angel

Yesterday she spent some time with her Mema, but still wanted to see Glammy and pick flowers.  We walked around the yard for a while and talked about the flowers, and picked a few.

Glammy was the lucky recipient of these

 

Favorite #THREE

Elf

This week LB sent me this text:

Looking forward to December 23, 2018!

 

Favorite #FOUR

Carrot Cake Trifle

It’s FINALLY out of my house!

And unfortunately we didn’t take a picture…

OMG what is wrong with me???

You can look at this one.  It is similar.

I made the Carrot Cake Trifle as one of our Easter Sunday Dinner desserts this week.  We had so much food that I had half of this delectable concoction left over.  It served as LB’s 9:00PM dessert every night and each time I scooped up a dish for him, I took a bite myself.

Ingredients:

  • 1 box Carrot Cake Mix & required ingredients
  • 8 oz. softened cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 sticks of softened butter
  • 3 cups of powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla
  • 16 oz. Cool Whip
  • Chopped walnuts

Easiest dessert recipe ever!  Prepare the carrot cake according to package directions, allow to cool and cut into cubes.  Mix together cream cheese and butter.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla.  Combine mixture with Cool Whip.  Layer in trifle dish with carrot cake and walnuts.  OMG delicious!

Obviously this is not helping me in my quest to be swimsuit ready by Memorial Day.

 

Favorite #FIVE

Hoda and Kathie Lee

Happy 10th anniversary!

I’ve been watching the 4th hour of the TODAY show (recorded) for SEVERAL years!

I love Hoda because she is happy, full of life, and tough as nails!

I love Kathie Lee because she is blunt, beautiful, and filled with conviction!

This is my favorite show to watch while I’m on the treadmill everyday and I feel like both ladies are my friends.  If I entered their contest for FAN OF THE WEEK (or any other special occasion) I’m sure I would win!

LOVE these Ladies!

https://gph.is/2pZetPD

 

Congratulations!

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

TBB ASKS April ~ Spring

It is TBB ASKS day!

Because it is the first Monday of the month, [and because I haven’t finished my post about the weekend], today I’m linking up with The Blended Blog for the monthly Q&A.

1. What 3 colors remind you most of spring?

2. What is the first thing you add to your wardrobe in spring?

This year it was new shoes

3. What is the first wardrobe item you ditch in spring?

Sweaters.

All my sweaters are neatly folded and placed on the top shelf in my closet.

  Won’t be needing those until December

4. Who mows the grass where you live?

LB is head of mowing operations because he does it better than I.

5. What’s spring like where you live?

Today it is partly sunny 86°/61°, tomorrow it is supposed to rain 84°/62°, Wednesday there will be PM thunderstorms 79°/49°, Thursday mostly sunny 69°/51°, Friday partly cloudy 84°/57°.

Each day is a new adventure

 

6. What’s your favorite thing about spring?

Warm days and cool nights

 

7. Are you a spring cleaner?

I’m an all-season cleaner

 

8. Are you a baseball fan?

When the Cubs made it to the World Series last year, I watched every game.  Other than that, I haven’t followed any major league teams in a long time.

 

9. Tulips or Daffodils?

I love tulips and LB knows it!He surprised me with these tulips and I will do my best to keep them alive.

10. Favorite outdoor spring activity?

Being out in the sun

11. Flowers in the ground or in pots?

I have several potted plants, however in the ground is a healthier option at my house.

The dogwood is doing very well.  So far!

12. Favorite bird?

Robins

When I see these little guys hopping around in my yard, I know spring has arrived!

13. Car wash or wash vehicles at home?

There have been occasions when a personal car was necessary, but for the most part our cars will get a run through the car wash.

14. When do you pull out your sandals?

Some sandals are out year round, others will come out with the shorts.

 

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

 

Cupcakes & Colored Eggs

Easter weekend

would not be complete without coloring eggs on Saturday.

Last year, on the Saturday before Easter were made cookies & colored eggs

You can read about that event in this post.

This year, we made cupcakes & colored eggs on the Saturday before Easter.

First we colored/dyed 24 hard boiled eggs… and made a wonderful mess!

After the eggs had been colored,

and the egg-shaped cookies beautifully decorated,(The brown one is mine.  Yep.)

We moved on to the sunflower cupcakes….And it was no easy task.

Lydia participated long enough to finish one cupcakeObviously her skills are unmatched and could have completed the whole job herself.

However she was far more interested in something on TV.

Due to her work schedule, Stephanie wasn’t able to join us, so Amanda and Emily turned all 52 mini cupcakes into lovely sunflowers.The cupcakes were presented the following day as dessert after Easter Sunday dinner.

Afterward the Easter egg hunt began!It was High energy(notice the binoculars for easier egg spotting)Serious business!but plenty for everyone!

It was a good day to spend with family, enjoying time together, and making memories!

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog

Friday Favorites: Easter Edition

Today is one of the best Fridays Ever, so much so, we call it

Good Friday

Favorite # ONE

It only makes sense to start my list with this day.

 Good Friday is part of a significant weekend, culminating in Easter Sunday.  On Sunday our family will gather to celebrate.  We start the Easter celebration on Saturday with a tradition I’ve kept with my girls… coloring eggs.

This time last year, we colored eggs, as I mentioned in this post and Easter would not be complete without coloring eggs on the Saturday before Easter.

Favorite # TWO

Easter eggs

Why do we celebrate Easter with eggs?

The egg, an ancient symbol of new life, has been associated with pagan festivals celebrating spring.  From a Christian perspective, Easter eggs are said to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection.  The Easter egg tradition may also have merged into the celebration of Lent as it was traditional to use up all of the household’s eggs before Lent began.

In addition, one ancient tradition was the tinting of Easter eggs with the color red “in memory of the blood of Christ, shed as at that time of his crucifixion”.

This custom of the Easter egg can be traced to early Christians of Mesopotamia, and from there it spread into Russia through the Orthodox Churches, and later into Europe through the Catholic and Protestant Churches (source).

Very interesting.

 

 

Favorite # THREE

Sunflowers

in the form of cupcakes.

We will be making sunflower cupcakes tomorrow.

Last night I baked the chocolate mini-cupcakes…  52 of ‘em.

Tonight I am coloring the sliced almonds (yellow) that will serve as the petals for our sunflower cupcakes.  When my girls arrive on Saturday, I’ll have them assemble the cute little confections and will premier them tomorrow!

Be on the lookout for Sunflower Cupcakes!

 

On the subject of flowers…

Favorite # FOUR

Yesterday LB came home with flowers!a tulip plant and an Easter lily plant.

I love surprises!

 

 

Favorite # FIVE

Like the petals of a sunflower…

Yellow

Specifically my new yellow pants from LOFT

which turned out to be a smart spring shopping event!  Very Springy.

 

Happy Easter!

 

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

 

All About Makeup

The ladies at

The Blended Blog

will regularly host a link up that is interesting and fun.

Also, as I’ve mentioned before, it is great to have someone provide a topic.

Today the link up is

All About Makeup

For me makeup is typically all about Mary Kay.

My skincare, foundation, loose powder, and mascara are all Mary Kay products.

My eyeliner and lip color are not Mary Kay.

But I have to have them!

Lately I’ve been experimenting with a gift I received last Christmas.  It is a pink case filled with makeup from ULTA.  Mama decided all the girls needed one.  You can read about here.

In addition to highlighter,  bronzer, blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, eyeshadow primer, and lipgloss there are 4 color correcting concealers.  It was necessary to do some research before using the concealer.  Here is what I found:

The easiest way for me to decide which concealer is best is to envision their complementary colors on the color wheel.

Yellow concealer, being that it is directly across from purple on the color wheel, is best for hiding purple or blue bruises, veins, under eye circles and any unwanted blue undertones on your skin.  Yellow is the most often used concealer.

 Purple/Lavender concealer  is opposite yellow on the color wheel and is used to regulate yellow-colored skin imperfections such as sallowness and yellow bruises. It can also help conceal dark under-eye circles and dark spots on darker skin tones. Purple/lavender concealers are suitable for eliminating any unwanted yellow undertones on your skin.

Green concealer is best for masking red areas such as broken blood vessels and the dreaded pimple.  Because red is directly across from green on the color wheel, using the green concealer neutralizes the color red.   In the case of widespread redness, such as rosacea, then a color correcting green primer would be best.

Pink concealer can help make dull or ashen skin look rosy, and can reduce the appearance of dark under eye circles.

So that is the short and sweet on color concealer.

Although I use the yellow most often, I’ve been having a good time experimenting with them all.

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog. 

Celebrating Spring

It is the first weekend of a new season…

SPRING!

The first day of spring occurs when the robins arrive.

Bird, Nature, Forest, Robin

 

Just Kidding!

The first day of spring occurs on the day the center of the sun crosses directly over the equator.

This celestial crossing results in the equinox—a day with light and dark of practically equal length, with the sun rising precisely in the east and setting precisely in the west.  This year the vernal equinox befell on Tuesday, March 20 at 12:15 PM.

See how smart I am!

On this first weekend of spring I celebrated by

Spring cleaning the YARD

It was a perfectly beautiful Saturday.  While LB was busy pressure washing the patio, I was busy pulling weeds and trimming the shrubs that I thought may have died during the winter.  My main concern was getting the dogwood tree planted.  There were so many rules for this little tree:  Only 3-6 hours of sun, well drained soil, and highly visible to me as I come and go.

LB was my hero when he picked a spot!

On Sunday there was

Shopping

I needed a spring wreath for the front door and I found mine at Pier One

although it has no Easter eggs or BUNNIES…

it will be appropriate for display all season long!

Oh! Look behind me… its Joanna Gaines!

 

I was also on a hunt for a deviled egg plate/platter.

There were so many to choose from!

 Can you guess which one I chose?

While fall is my favorite season, spring takes a close second, although it does bring with it a potential issue…

Spring Fever

There are some indicators that reveal you may be suffering with spring fever.

You may know the symptoms… restlessness, daydreaming, a delightful inclination towards romance and a strong desire to ditch the drudgery in exchange for a frolic in the flower fields. The emotional exuberance that winter has come to an end may be more than many are able to manage.  If this describes you, it’s time to get out of town.

One thing is certain… LB has it!

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog. 

Friday Favorites

It is time for my Friday Favorites!

Favorite # ONE

The seasons have changed and once again…

SPRING BEGINS!

“And here in the Northern Hemisphere happy are we this day has arrived!  Get ready for longer days and increased sunshine.  Tune up the lawn mower.  More sunshine means the grass will be growing.”

(National Calendar Day)

Favorite # TWO

It was supposed to take four weeks, but after only ten days we have growth!

Reminds me of GROOT!

It’s so cute!  I can’t wait to see the parsley!

 

 

Favorite # THREE

It is adorable when Elvis sits at the bar and watches me in the kitchen.

I love how he sets his little chin on the counter.

LB captured this adorable moment…

I love that cat!

Favorite # FOUR

My new dogwood tree

We’ll be looking for a perfect spot to plant it this weekend!

 

 

Favorite # FIVE

Lydia and Rory

It may be that this is a regular occurrence.

These baby girls are adorable and they have my heart!

Here they are in their new spring-themed matching dresses handmade by Aunt Mamie.

Adorable!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not the only one who loves Friday!  There is a lot of excitement in my office on Friday mornings.  Typically Ms. G will be dancing as she comes in and will escalate from there.  This morning she didn’t feel much like dancing.  This didn’t seem to matter to the other ladies as they pressed her.  She wasn’t going to comply which prompted a log onto YouTube for an appropriately titled tune.

Thus was my introduction to Bishop Bullwinkle and his song was stuck in my head all day.

 

 

Hopefully you will be as entertained by this as I am!

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

XO

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