St.Patty’s Day Crafts/Treats

 

Happy Thursday Bloggers!  I hope y'all are having a fabulous week.  I’ve been dying to “craft” lately, but with our wedding coming up (which is in almost 4 months btw! AHHH!) I’m trying to be REALLY good about saving money.  Which is SUPER hard for me….not the saving money part…but the no crafting part is…..I’m going craaaaazy. So I’ve had to go to the next best thing….PINTREST!  It’s def. kept me going because whenever I see something I want to make, I’ll just “repin” it for later when I have the funds to craft like I want to.  Haha.  

Here are some of my favorites that I’ve seen so far this year.  Hope you enjoy!

Button shamrock…..Create your own image in a frame with buttons.

Thrifty Hurricane Tutorial…I just love hurricanes….it’s so easy to add something in there to make it more festive. You could always use green now for St.Patty’s Day and then add in another color afterwards for Easter/Spring.

Create a wall-hanging of some sort to put on the mantle.

You could always decorate a canvas as well.

Paint wooden blocks to spell out something.  Apparently these are the backside of wood blocks that spelled LOVE for V.Day.  Add a ribbon to them and put them on a curtain rode. 

Lucky Printable: Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Print it, put it in a seasonal frame and add a ribbon shamrock…and you’ve got an adorable decoration.

St.Patrick’s Day Printable Posters.

St.Patty’s Rag Wreath. You know I love a good wreath now.

Here’s another Rag Wreath.  I think this one is adorable.

“Lucky You!” Wreath.

LOOOVE this lime wreath. You can always add another color to it after St.Patty’s day for the Spring/Easter.

Felt Shamrock Wreath. So cute!

NOW on to the treats….I just love these.

Marshmallow Hat Treats.

St.Patrick Party Favors…absolutely PERFECT if you are throwing a party or want to give a little gift to someone.

Caramel and Chocolate Covered Marshmallows….yummy!

St.Patty’s Day Pretzels.

St.Patrick’s Popcorn.

St.Patty’s Cake Pops.

Aren't these adorable?  Which are your favorites???  What kind of things have you made?  I'd LOVE to hear.

RGL

Happy V.Day/Reason's I Love the South

Happy Valentine's Day! I saw this on the Southern Living Facebook page and thought I'd do the same. In honor of today I want to write down some reasons I love the South! 

What could be more Southern than to obsess about being Southern?!  Here are a few of my reasons I love the South....feel free to share yours on my wall as well.

• Cast-iron skillets are passed down just like the family silver....Cornbread, enough said.
• Our children know to say "yes sir" and "no, ma'am."
• Simply add "Bless your heart" or "Isn’t that precious immediately prior to or after an insult and you absolve yourself of any offense.
• Southern woman wear pearls like we were born in them....pearls are perfect for every occasion...yes, even to go to the grocery store.
• We break out the silver for book club, Bunko, and even tagilagting!
• Mac 'n' Cheese is a vegetable.
• People know it's always right to hold a door open ... even when the person is 30 feet away!
• We still appreciate a handwritten thank you note ... or love letter.
• A piece of mama's apple pie cures what ails you (even heartbreak!)
• GRITS!!!!!!!!!!!
• Our accents....everyone, eventually, wants to have one.
• We wouldn't think of leaving our house without lipstick!!
• After church, Sunday suppers, where we reconnect with family and friends.
• Southern girls don't drink...we sip...a lot!
• Tea does not judge itself...people judge the tea.
• Football is a religion, not just a sport, and games are WORTH fighting over.
• Our Southern Hospitality: At first it seemed phony, and certainly there is some pretense at times, but the reality is people are generally nicer in the South. We really are hospitable.
• Faith and culture...as with hospitality, the influence of religion on southern culture sometimes feels fake. It’s sometimes hard to see past the veneer of the Bible Belt to what people really believe. Moreover, it’s not uncommon to hear people use words like “God” “blessing” and “Jesus” in a conversation about politics, culture, or the news. If you didn’t grow up with this, it can be overwhelming.
• People in the south smile at each other, even if they don’t know each other.
• The weather....sometimes we forget how lucky we are to live in an area with distinct seasons. The weather here is warm and mostly pleasant....It is supposed to be cold at Christmas, Spring should smell like freshly cut grass, Summer should be hot as blazes, and Fall should be breathtakingly beautiful. Living in Tennessee, I get the opportunity to experience all four seasons without freezing to death.
• College sports: Professional sports are ok, but there is nothing like the thrill of college sports, and they reign supreme in the true south.
• Pace of Life: Who needs all that hustle and bustle? Mosey somewhere for once (look it up), it will help you digest your fried Twinkie.
• We believe in protecting our family's come hell or high water.

I hope you all have a great Valentine's Day.  I hope you all leave reasons why you love the south as much as I do.....I'm going to end with this awesome quote I once read. 

"Growing up Southern is a privilege really. It's more than where you're born, it's an idea and state of mind that seems imparted at birth. It's more than loving fried chicken, sweet tea, college football, beer, and country music. It's being hospitable, charming, and respectful while having strenght, grace, and a genuine love for our family and our land. We don't become Southern, we're born that way."

RGL

Clean Eating Taco Salad

Happy Friday my little bloggers!  My roommate and I have been seeing a trainer now for about three weeks now and we've been trying out some Clean Eating recipes.  We had this one last night and I just had to share with you.  It was SOOOO delish!  I was able to stop myself before I ate too much, but boy am I looking forward to eating the left overs. 

Clean Eating Taco Salad
(Makes as much as you’d like to make)

Meat mix ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey meat (the leaner the better)
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

All the other ingredients
Avocado – sliced or mashed
Corn – no sugar added
Black beans – no sugar added
Lettuce
Salsa

Possible additional ingredients
Tomatoes
Onions
Olives
Low fat shredded cheese
Fresh cilantro (optional...I hate cilantro, but a lot of ppl. like it)

Directions
Step 1 – Prepare your meat in a non stick pan using either chicken broth or 1/2 tsp. olive oil to cook it. Add all “meat mix” ingredients to the pan and cook until the meat is done.

Step 2 – Prepare all other ingredients.

Step 3 – Layer all the ingredients on your plate and serve.

Eat and Enjoy!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

RGL

Valentine’s Décor

Hope y’all are doing great.  I know I’ve been super slack on my blogging lately, so I apologize.  I’ve been super busy with work, going to the gym, and wedding planning (which I’ll do a blog post on our Save The Dates later this week).  I actually had some spare time the other morning and since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, I started looking up cute décor and here are some that I came across. 

Heart-Shaped burlap wreath with two satin ruffle heart wreaths too.  Pretty easy and inexpensive to make.

This “be mine” topiary would be super easy to make.  Click here for my old post on how to make a topiary.  Then just get a thrift store buck and paint it. 

Tulips and roses are very “valentine-y”….they also give you some “life” around the house…you can snag some of these at Wal-Mart for $10.

Get conversation hearts and fill up an old Ball jars…super easy and very decorative!

Just get a frame, either one laying around the house or find one at a yard sale and cut out hearts and clue to ribbons. 

Conversation hearts candy Topiary...click here to see how to make it. 

 Tissue Paper Wreath...click here to see how to make it.

Painted wooden hearts glued to a long ribbon.  Cute to decorate around the house…AND you can use it from year to year.

Heart Shaped cupcake wreath...click here to see how to make it.

Valentine's Day Date Balls..click here to see how to make it.

Tree of Love.

Felt Valentine's Heart. Click here to see how to make it.

Fill glass canister with a candle and Conversation Hearts candy.

Have any of you seen these?  Which ones are your favorites?  Are y'all planning on decorating for Valentine's Day?  I'd love to see/hear what you're going to do.

RGL

Happy Holidays!

My dear blogging friends,

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.  I just wanted to send you all warm wishes during this time of year.   I hope Santa was good to you and that you all remembered the true reason for the season.  I don't know if I'll have time to blog much this week so I want to wish you all a very Happy New Years as well.

 RGL

Holiday Hostess Gifts

It’s the Holiday Season…which means Holiday parties.  If you’re struggling with an idea for what to get for  hostess gifts, I’ve listed some frugal, yet fabulous ideas below.  Now all I need is a party to attend…I’ll be set.



Beach Chair Wine Bottle Bow Tie. Order them here.



Personalized Bucket filled w/ Holiday Treats. Order them here.



Personalized pillow covers. Order them here.

Wine bottle accessories. Order them here.

Embroidered Guest Towels, Set of 2. Order this here.

A cookbook wrapped in a Holiday dish towel and wooden spoons!

Hope everyone is having a great week! 11 days till Christmas!!!!

RGL

DIY Christmas Décor!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!  Hope y’all are having a great week so far…and if any of you are taking exams/finals…I wish you all GOOD LUCK!  My fiancé and both of my roommates are in their 1^st semester of law school so it’s been a little crazy and stressful around my house….I tend to stay out of their way and play on Pintrest on my down time.  I am loving all of the Holiday ideas and decoration from that site and just wanted to share some of my favorites that I’ve seen so far this year. 

Write something “Christmas-y” on a chalkboard and put it over the
 mantle…this could last all the way through February too!

Fabric Covered Poster Board Christmas tree cones.  Click here for instructions.

DIY ornaments…Styrofoam covered in glitter.  Much less expensive than the
big ornaments at the store.  Click here for instructions.

I love these…toothpicks in plastic spheres spray painted white and covered spray-on snow!

Acorn Cap Ball. Click here for instructions.

Christmas frame using wrapping paper.  Click here for instructions.

Dollar store fake fruit + glitter = these beauties you can use to decorate!

Marshmallow snow garland for a party décor!! Click here for instructions.

Wrap candles with holiday ribbon. Click here for instructions.

Painted pine cones.

Button tree! Click here for instructions.

Snowman out of wreaths!

Brilliant!  Ornaments hanging from dining room chandelier. Click here for instructions.

Clean pine cones on ribbon.  So simple, yet so pretty! Click here for instructions.

Snowman Tree

Easy Christmas table centerpieces….here’s an easy way to make these as topiary’s:  Click here

Hand Santa-tizer. Click here for instructions.

Woodland Labels. Click here for instructions.

Have any of you tried to do or make any of these things?  I can’t wait to be married and have a house one day so I can do some of these things.

RGL