Thank the Lord for Long Weekends!

{via}

Today's favorites will be short and sweet. I am headed to Oklahoma this weekend for my annual girls lake trip at Grand Lake.  I couldn't be more excited to see these girls. After this very stressful and emotional week (I promise I'll update on that soon), I need some BFF time!

Here we go!  Linking up with Amanda!

Favorite Purchase

{via}

I crossed fingers, toes and eyeballs this week hoping that Express would have their Labor Day sale again this year.  I had this beauty in my cart ready to go if that happened.  When they announced the sale Wednesday night, I made sure to hit Buy before it could sell out!

Favorite Reads
1. College Students Create Nail Polish to Prevent Date Rape
2. Things Sassy People Wish Normal People Understood (oh Lordy this is me in a nutshell)

Favorite Tip



For any of you going on a last minute summer vacay!

Alrighty yall have a FABULOUS Labor Day weekend!

Favorite Football Recipes

Well college football starts this weekend and if your friends and family are anything like mine, everyone is planning for tailgates and watch parties.  While I won't be participating in the festivities this weekend (I'll be at my annual Girls Lake Trip), I thought I'd share some of my favorite football-worthy recipes.

Chicken Enchilada Dip Rollups

{via}

I made these for our camping trip back in June and they were a hit!  So easy to make and so yummy!

Spicy Bloody Mary Dip

{via}

For all of my Bloody Mary lovers.  Serve up with fresh cold shrimp and you've got a crowd pleaser.

Southwestern Corn Dip

{via}

Around my house, we call this crack dip.  Make it and you'll see why.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

{via}

You can never go wrong with Buffalo Chicken Dip.  I'd leave out the sour cream and maybe add a little lemon juice.

Now grab your favorite koozie, crack a beer and get ready for kickoff!

What are your favorite football recipes?

Happy Fri*YAY*

It's Fri*YAY*! I think I say this every week but this week really did feel SUPER long. Between teaching 2 barre classes, studio meeting, auditioning 2 groups of amazing kiddos for 2 competition dances, late night choreography and my full time job, I am ready for the weekend!  Also, I seem to have a pinched nerve in my shoulder/neck that is making workout impossible this week. Boooooo!

Ok let's get to these favorites, shall we?

Favorite Purchase

{via}

Thanks to Amanda for posting about this beauty!

Favorite Reads
21 Beautiful Girl Habits
Great reminders that being YOU is the most beautiful habit you can have.

I also like these too!

{via}

Favorite Funnies
These Awkward Prom Photos were too funny not to share!


This update on Bayside High's finest brought back so many great memories - TIME OUT!

{via}

Favorite Recipes
Gazpacho

{via}

I love gazpacho and have been looking for a good recipe to make this summer.  I think I just found it.

Tomatillo Avocado Dip


Sometimes you want something other than salsa!

Alrighty yall! I am supposed to get to cross something off of my bucket list this weekend so keep your fingers crossed that the weather cooperates!

Happy Weekend!

Linking up with Amanda for Friday Favorites!

What I'm Pinning Lately

I have been turning to Pinterest for everything lately (you can follow me here). Cleaning tips, recipes, workout ideas, you name it-I've been pinning it.  Here are a few of my favorite things I've been pinning lately.

For my closet

{via}

I'm not ready for summer to leave but I love everything about this outfit from her olive skinnies to that precious scarf and especially her hair!  Anyone know how to get those curls let me know!

{via}

I recently purchased this skirt and I have so many things I want to pair it with!

For my kitchen
Pasta Sauce and Zucchini Noodles

{via}

I am obsessed with zucchini noodles lately and this just seems like the perfect sauce to go with them!

Whole Foods Chicken Salad

{via}

I made this last night and while it's good, I need to love on it a little bit and add some things.  The avocado is definitely a great substitute for nasty ol mayo.

For the gym (or barre class)

{via}

As much as I want to love it, I hate running so it is so hard for me to get good cardio in. I love that this is not only working your whole body but it changes throughout the whole thing so you're not doing the same thing over and over.

{via}

Some of these I'm going to incorporate in my barre classes.  Such great moves for toning and leaning out those arms!

For my soul

{via}

Saw this on instagram yesterday and it almost brought tears to my eyes.

{via}

Always good to remember!

What have you been pinning lately?

Tattoos and Song Lyrics

If someone paid you a million dollars to get a song lyric tattooed on your body, what song lyric would you choose and where would you get the tattoo?

Oh the things we see on Facebook.  I saw this question floating around my news feed last week and thought it was fun.  I personally don't have any tattoos (you're welcome Mom) but I have always thought about getting one. I have always wanted a small bird on my wrist but I can never make myself pull the trigger.

Now if someone was offering me a million dollars to get a tattoo you can bet I'd be in that chair faster than anything!

I've thought long and hard about what song lyric I would choose. I LOVE music and have several songs that mean a lot to me.  However, there is 1 song that I am most loyal to. I have loved this song for as long as I can remember. One summer in college I worked in a karaoke bar back home and I made fast friends with the DJ. Anytime I'd come home to visit and I'd walk into the bar, the DJ would instantly play this song (he also played I Like Big Butts by Sir Mixalot when I was there but that was a whole different story)! This song always puts a smile on my face and if it's playing at a wedding or a bar, I'm the first one on the dance floor.

I mean how can you NOT like this song?!?!

That answers the song part of the question but what about the where part?

I think if I had to get a whole lyric then I would put "Don't Stop Believing" along the instep of my foot. If I could just get 1 word then I would put believe in small letters on my rib cage.

What about yall?  What song lyric and what body part would you choose?

When You're Sick, Go Shopping

Happy Monday lovebugs!  I hope everybody had a fabulous weekend.  I unfortunately was a little sick most of the weekend with sinus junk. If this Michigan weather would make up its mind my allergies might not go so crazy!

Linking up with my girl B!

Friday, we were supposed to meet some friends for dinner but I decided I needed to rest and go to bed early. I spent the night on the couch catching up on my DVR and watching The Other Woman.  I was hoping to be back to 100% Saturday but unfortunately that was not the case so after taking a barre class I stuck pretty close to the house.

Sunday I woke up feeling a tad better and decided the only way I was going to feel 100% would be to do a little shopping.  I took advantage of a few sales and ended up with some new pretties for my closet.

Saw this on one of my favorite fashion bloggers and just had to have it!

I've been waiting for this maxi skirt to go on sale!  This beauty has MAJ walkability!

New workout top!

Lovely new sandals on sale for the end of season.

I can't believe it's mid-August already.  Where the heck has summer gone?

Friday Favorites: Holla!

Happy Friday!  I don't know about yall but I felt like this week lasted FOREVER! I did get to have some much needed girl time last night with some yummy food and great wine. I may have had 1 glass too many last night from the way I'm dragging this morning.

Yall know the Friday drill around here! Linking up Amanda!

Favorite song
Like a Drum - Lauriana Mae


One of the girls I taught dance with in Dallas sent me this song this week and it's been on repeat. Love the beat and the big band sound.

Favorite Recipe
Autumn Chopped Salad

via

While I'm not quite ready for it to be autumn yet, I couldn't resist this delicious looking salad.  I adapted the recipe a big but here's a link to the original.

Favorite Movie Release

So if you remember back to this post then you know I loved the movie The Other Woman.  I wanted every piece of clothing that Cameron Diaz's character wore.  Well this movie came out on On Demand this week and I fully intend on watching a few times this weekend from the comfort of my bed.

Favorite Reality TV Ladies

Carole and Heather are 2 of my favorite reality ladies and this picture made me giggle!  I love both of their spunky spitfire personalities. Can we just talk about how hot Miss Radziwill is with her blonde hair?

Happy weekend loves!

Weekend Happenings

How is it Monday already?  I feel like my weekends are getting shorter and shorter! Linking up with B today.

Would you believe I didn't take 1 single picture this weekend?  Not that there was too much going on but still...

Friday night, Michigan and I babysat his nephews and niece so their parents could take an anniversary trip.  They are GREAT kids but holy moly after just a couple of hours I was worn out!  After playing for a couple of hours then feeding them ice cream, I left just in time for the sugar buzz to really kick in - good luck Uncle Michigan!  I had to get up early to teach barre the next morning and they live about 30 minutes from the studio....no way was that drive happening in the morning!

Saturday I was excited to finally take a barre class from my girl Mallory.  Her class is always so hard but so fun.  We had a great talk in between classes about how I'm progressing as a teacher, tips for things I need to work on and things I'm doing well.  I totally respect her opinion and it was nice to hear that she thought I was doing a great job teaching.

Michigan and I drove over to Saugatuck which is a little beach town about an hour away.  I wish I could say I took great pictures on the water but I had a big blogger fail.  We bar hopped a bit and then walked around the main strip of shops.  It was fun but I really want to go early in the day the next time so we can actually hang out on the beach and get in the water.

Sunday was spent doing a few of my favorite things.  I spent a little time in the kitchen working on a new salad and dressing recipe (I'll be sharing that later), working on the blog and then going to the movies.  Michigan took me to see the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

This may surprise some of you but the original TMNT was one of my favorite movies as a kid.  I swear I watched it every weekend and I'd bet good money that the VHS tape is still in my dad's attic somewhere.  Bad ass turtles who fought crime, ate pizza and had hilarious one-liners.  What's not to love?

I didn't think the new one was as good as the old one BUT I did think it was a good movie.  And hello, how hot is Megan Fox?!

via

I'm kinda dying over her hair....can you say perfection?

That was pretty much it for my weekend.  I have to say I am actually really looking forward to this week.  I am super motivated for a few things coming up and have gotten focused on some personal goals of mine.  Here's to ending summer this year with a bang!

Friday Favorites: Funny Business and Food (as always)

Yall know the Friday drill by now. Linking up with this pretty lady!



Favorite Funnies



I mean how cute is that little face.

I know this video has been making its way around this week but I love his little voice.



Favorite recipe

Summer Veggie Slaw


Amanda posted about this last week and my mouth was watering.  I made a few of my own adjustments and actually ended up sauteing the veggies for 10 minutes or so just to bring out the flavors.  To see the original recipe click here.

Nectarine and Pancetta Salad


I wrote about this last week and I promised I'd be back with results. The original recipe calls for figs but the ones I bought got moldy after 1 day. I made some other minor changes based on what was in my fridge but the salty pancetta and the sweet nectarines were Uh-May-Zing!

Favorite Event
A good friend of mine wanted to treat me to Pedi-tinis for my birthday.  Would you believe it has taken us this long to get together for it (my birthday was in April)?  We headed over to Blush Salon & Spa in downtown Kalamazoo and I was so excited for my feet to get a little TLC.  These ladies were the best. We got Peach Bellini Martinis and chocolate truffles with our pedicures and I seriously wanted to move in!  Yall my toes have never looked this good.



Looks like we are finally going to have some pretty and sunny weather all weekend here so I'm crossing my fingers that I make it out to the lake!

Happy weekend lovebugs!

I Should Be Ashamed Of Myself

Admit it. We all have things we do that we'd rather other people not know about.  Things we are slightly ashamed of yet proud of at the same time.  Things that if our friends caught us doing we'd never hear the end of it.  For some people it's eating disgusting combinations like Snickers and queso (I had a friend in high school who did this) for others it's the movies they watch or the books they read.  Everybody has something they'd rather not share with the world.

Well in true blogger fashion (and because I have NOTHING else in my head to blog about) I give you:

Things I should be ashamed of but I'm not!

I still listen to Hanson

When this trio of brothers first came on the scene, I was in jr. high. For some reason no one I was friends with thought they were cool and therefore I could never express my love for Taylor Hanson.  I did however, secretly buy their CDs and listen to them in my room when I was home alone.  Now that I'm a big bad adult, I blare their music proudly (but only if I'm driving by myself).  C'mon y'all, Mmmbop is pretty catchy! I also still listen to NKOTB…..don't give me those judgey eyeballs!

I still have a security blanket
One thing about my Mema that I will always remember is that she had these super soft and silky pillowcases at her house.  I don't know how old I was when this fascination started but apparently I had such an appreciation for these things that I refused to let one leave my hand for awhile.  30 years later I still have one tucked under my pillow.  I don't tote it around the house or take it on vacation or anything but something about the way it feels and the memories that are attached to it always seem to make me feel better when I've had a rough day.  You know some of y'all still have that stuffed bear that you still sleep with on occasion.  This is my version!

I love movies and tv shows that are geared towards the 14 and under demographic
Last summer I was browsing Netflix and got the best surprise ever!

All 13 episodes were on Netflix and I may have watched them all in one sitting. I loved these books as a little girl and used to rent the VHS tapes from the library.  Talk about memories!
Also, last week Taylor wrote this post and I found myself on youtube watching the 1st season of this show:

I remember wanting to go to summer camp SO bad after watching this and I was sure I'd meet my 7th grade soulmate and we'd write letters to each other and have a hot and heavy hand holding romance.  I also thought that Rhett the boy's counselor was like, totally hot!

I'm still afraid of the dark (and monsters that hide under my bed)
I don't know what it is but I am still very afraid of the dark.  Every night I turn off the lights, run full speed to my bed (the whole 3 steps) and switch on the lamp until I get settled.  Anytime I'm coming up from the basement I take off at full speed up the stairs because I am 100% certain that there is a monster or vampire or something behind me ready to attack.  I'm going to blame it on the fact that I watched this show growing up:

Ok so now that I've put myself out there, it's your turn.  What are some things you should be ashamed?