Greek Pasta Recipe

We're always looking for new recipes that are tasty and more "grown up" but that our little guy will still eat. This recipe was a BIG hit, and was actually one that I made up myself!

What You'll Need:
1 box of Rotini
2 Chicken Breasts
1/2 stick of butter
1 package Italian seasoning
1 tomato (optional)

1/2 cup cheese

How to do it:

1. Cook pasta as according to package. Drain, and add about 1/4th stick of butter to the pasta and stir well.
2. Cook chicken breasts on a skillet. Once about 3/4th's of the way done, add about half of the package of Italian seasoning to the chicken breasts. Add the other half to the pasta. cut into bite sized pieces. 

Add 1/2 cup cheese to the pot of pasta and stir well.
3. Cut the tomatoes into slices. Add everything into the package of pasta and stir well. Serve while still warm, and add toppings like Parmesan cheese.

Serve and enjoy!

Our Anniversary & An Ad Sale

Today is the three year anniversary of the day I married my best friend. 

It's been a roller coaster.
It's been hard. It's been fun. It's been painful. It's been beautiful.
And I wouldn't change it for the world. 

So while we are out galvanizing around and celebrating like the fools we tend to act like, I wanted to offer you our summer ad sale for the last time, and you only have THREE days left to claim it!

Go to our SPONSOR US page, and choose the ad space of your liking. When going through checkout, use promo code SUMMERADSALE to get 50% off all ad spaces!
Fun facts and numbers to get you excited:
6,000 people visit our blog monthly (and growing!)
We get about 1,800 views per week.

Our large ad spaces get over 3,000 views per month (and growing!)
Our sponsors have paid next to nothing, and are getting some serious love from us thanks to this sale:

Large Ad Spaces are now $2.50
Medium Ad Spaces are now $2.00
Small Ad Spaces are only $1
For a medium ad space, $7.50 was paid for a sponsorship until Feb, 2014.
For a large ad space, $10.00 was paid for a sponsorship until late Jan, 2014.
Folks, thats less than coffee for a week! So, come join us by sponsoring our blog, score your own guest post spot, get loved on by us, and enjoy being a part of our life and blog. We'd love to have you!

August Birchbox & Review

I kept seeing things about Birchbox all over the blogging world, and was super jealous. Last I had checked, they ran between $20-$28 and I just couldn't justify that for sample sizes, until one day I realized they were only $10! I subscribed to the box and was super excited when it arrived earlier than it was estimated to! 

First off, I loved the packaging! It came in a girly pink shipping box, and inside, this beauty!

Benefit Cosmetics - Triple Performing Facial Emulsion - Full Size $30

I really loved these lotions, and these sample sizes lasted me almost two weeks of daily use! I'm already on the lookout for an awesome sale at Ulta or Sephora so I can snag these babies up!

Amika - Obliphica Blow up Spray - $24

I am always hesitant to try new things in my hair. I have hair that is just hard to work with, so when I tested this out, and fell in love with it, I knew I was in trouble. It also smells GREAT, and at the end of the day, after work, school, working out, and being a mommy, Bubba mentioned how good my hair smelled as we crawled into bed. Win! 

Jasmine Seven- Fresh Feet Wipes - $9.95

I didn't know these existed, let alone that people need these, but we tried them out nonetheless.

Yeah, they're kinda cool, but not for me. However, Bubba tried them out and really liked them.

I guess I'm just not the target market!

Coola - Sport Sunscreen SPF 45 - $32

I cannot get enough sunscreen. I'm white and desperately need it. I love that I keep getting these samples! We as a family all try them out and love to figure out what works and what doesn't!

Jouer - Eye definer - $20

I've never really used eyeliner pencils before I got subscription boxes, and now that I'm getting them I love figuring out the brands, how they work, how to keep them lasting longer. I just love that this pencil goes on subtly, and lasts all day without smudging, but wipes off clean. 

Box Total (according to insert): 115.95

Total Spent: $10.00

Birchbox, you kept me another month! I love this box!

Makeup Monday: August IPSY Glam Bag

Before we get into this month's review of the products, I want to share a story...

Last month, I griped about the time period it takes for me to get my Glam Bag each month. I was really fed up, and this month my shipping information showed me that my bag sat in the warehouse for SEVEN days. I was really annoyed, so I contacted DHL about the issue. I got the run around via e-mail, their website and the phone. I got zero help from them at all, so really annoyed, I contacted IPSY asking about what we could do. Quite frankly, I was ready to unsubscribe from this service because of how long it takes to get to me. Some months they bill me for the next month, and I still haven't gotten the previous month's bag.

So suppose my surprise when I got to my mailbox and found a glam bag with an apology from IPSY! When I checked the shipping, it had been 2-day shipped to me. THAT, is great customer service. Ipsy, you win, you can keep me!

Noya - All Natural & Kosher Lip Balm - $3.23

I've been using this product religiously for several days now and love it. It's really neat that it is all natural AND kosher, and even better that its probably the best chapstick I've ever used!

Michael Todd - Jojoba Charcoal - $9.00

I really was hesitant to try this scrub, even though all the reviews raved about it. Charcoal based scrub? So I tried it out, looked like I rolled out of an episode of Duck Dynasty, but found that I LOVE it! It's fantastic! 

Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream $16

I love BB Creams, and I've used up almost all of them I've received, so trying out another brand had me really excited! This one left me feeling fresh, it was lightweight and smelled GREAT. It even helped me with concealing some acne!

Pixi Lash Booster Mascara - $7.00

I am all about my eyelashes, so I am consistently trying to find new mascaras and different wand styles to create the biggest look for my lashes. Mini's are by far the best for creating huge, dramatic lashes! I love this lash booster mascara, the wand is great and creates HUGE lashes! 

Nailtini - Mai Tai -$6.00

I love all the products and colors I've gotten from Nailtini. Each one has come at the best time possible for the color, (glitter during Christmas, peach in the spring, and now a vibrant orange for fall!) and is a great quality polish. You'll be seeing a Mani Monday with this color soon!

Ipsy Glam Bag Total: $10.00

Total Cost of Products (Worth): $42.23

Between the awesome products and Ipsy saving the day with my shipping, you can bet I'm a happy camper with this months Glam Bag! Do you subscribe? If not, follow here:

Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag! You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. Michelle Phan curates the bags! Check it out here: 

Guest Post: Kenzie from Life & Lemons

I've said it so many times I cannot even count anymore, but here it is again. We have the BEST sponsors EVER! Kenzie is on the blog today, sharing her blog and showing off just another reason why I love her, having her on my sidebar, and enjoying her blog myself! I'll leave the rest of the talking up to her!

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Hey Lovelies! I'm Kenzie and I blog over at Life & Lemons. My blog, much like myself is pretty random. I can be found blogging about anything: climbing to the top of a mountain, family play days, why I'm not a fashion blogger, link ups, riding horses, and sometimes a review or two. Sometimes I cram all of that into one post.. I get a little talkative on occasion. 

Before I get too much farther I want to say a huge thanks to Dani for letting me guest post! I always have such an awesome time guest posting even though 99% of the time I have no idea what to talk about. I usually just pull something out of thin air and go with it. Like now! I'll let you in on what you may or may not find on my blog. 

Reasons why I'm not a fashion blogger, here is a clue: yoga pants. I'm definitely not a fashionista, and I blame it on where I live. More often than not, if I'm not wearing a tank top and yoga pants, I can been found in flip flops, short shorts, and a hoodie. 

I love sharing things that I think are absolutely wonderful. More often then not those posts are centered around ruffles, burlap, glitter, and anything pink or delicious. 

I also love to explore and challenge myself. Ha, who am I kidding. Actually my other half loves to explore and challenge himself and drag me along (kicking and screaming I might add) for the ride. I think it is his way of getting back at me for forgetting to do the dishes or fold the laundry. Sometimes I will throw in reasons I make a horrible housewife, see previous sentence.

I probably should stop there, that way I leave a little mystery to my blog in hopes that you may find yourself wondering over there. 

Isn't she great? We just love Kenzie! Don't forget to enter our August Sponsor Giveaway! Kenzie's donated an AWESOME gift to go with it, and you don't want to miss out on it! 

Classic Potato Skins recipe

I'm a carb junkie...and there is no denying it. So when I we browsing my Pinterest boards for dinner ideas and realized I had TEN recipes pinned for Potato Skins, I knew it was time to take action.
No, not the kind that results in a reality check and a new diet plan.
I made dinner. 

What You'll Need: (Makes 12 skins)
3 Medium/Large sized potatoes
Cheese (shredded)
Butter
Salt
Toppings (optional), Sour Cream, Bacon Bits

How to do it:

1. Scrub the potatoes, patting dry when you're done. Then, after melting your butter in a small cup, brush your potatoes with butter. Add salt as desired, poke holes in the potato, cover in aluminium foil and bake at 400 degrees until cooked (about 45 minutes).
2. Once your potatoes are cooked, unwrap, and cut in half or fourths. Scoop out all of the insides of the potatoes, putting them in a container for another recipe (worked great, little dude had homemade mashed potatoes!). Then, add butter to both sides and cook on broil for five minutes on both sides. 

3. Once cooked, place on a serving dish, adding toppings you'd like to melt first, like cheese or the sour cream. Serve with your choice of sauce as desired and top with all the best ingredients. Sit back and enjoy your snack!

WW : A Family Reunion

My dad's side of the family is small enough that Thanksgiving and Christmas counts as holidays. My moms side is almost as small, but with plenty of small extensions. This year we decided to put together a family reunion, and got together this last weekend to celebrate! Here's some photos from the waterfight and the fun with little dude, most people asked not to be on the blog, so I'm not posting the photos out of respect for them!

He kept cracking open the water balloons on himself! 

He found a friend who loved to chase him around all day! 

Waterfight! Everyone went after Bubba! Look at his face in these photos!

Little dude loved pelting his dad!

He thought hitting dad with water balloons was pretty funny...and he was right! 

Overall it was a fun time, great to see everyone again, and to enjoy each other. Hopefully we don't go another ten years before it happens again! 

August Sponsor Spotlight and Giveaway!

I know I say it all the time, but I really do have the best sponsors in the world! They're fantastic, have great blogs with fantastic content and are so kind and wonderful to work with. Today, you get the chance to meet them all, and enter to win some sweet prizes from them in this month's giveaway! 

Use the widget below to enter to win some fantastic prizes from our sponsors, and make sure to go say hi to them and tell them we sent you! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mani-Monday: the MLS Series - Seattle Sounders

What is a Sounder? Well, truth be told, according to Google it is someone that likes the Seattle Sounders, and someone that lives in Seattle. Basically, no one knows. 

This week I didn't do the rubbing alcohol and a q-tip trick, this week I actually used the nail polish to glue the paper to my nail. Was it crazy-hard to place and let dry without screwing up the base color? Yes, yes it was. That being said, it was fun to show these off to the soccer fans in my life! 

What do you think? Would you sport the Seattle colors? 

While I loved doing these, remember, I am #RSLTID

Cowboy Casserole

The story of this meal and these photos are too good not to share. I have to brag, tell the story, whatever you call it.

I was all set to make this recipe on my own. It was set up for a weeknight, an easy meal and I had the meat defrosting in the fridge. I laid down at the same time the baby did to take a nap. When I awoke I heard the baby downstairs babbling and noise coming from the kitchen. Sleepily, I wandered downstairs to see my husband standing over the stove with my camera, the computer on, Pinterest open to this recipe and taking photos of his work in progress. Yeah, he basically is the best. He also completely made this recipe, which means it is easy enough for a husband to do!

Cowboy Casserole:

What You'll Need:
1 lb ground beef
1 bag tater tots
1 can corn
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2-3 cups cheese
4 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup milk

How to do it:
1. Brown the ground beef. Salt and pepper it to taste. Lay out a layer of tater tots in the bottom of the baking dish you'll be using.
2. In a separate bowl mix the milk, sour cream and cream of mushroom soup together.
3. Drain the grease out of the meat, combine everything (except tater tots) and then add half the cheese you'll be using, mix it gently into the mix.
4. Add the mix to the top of the tater tots, cover with more cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Serve and enjoy! 

The Man Behind the Blog Part 3

The Boys Behind the Blog #3 Questions:
1. What would you do with $1,000,000?
Get us a new family car. And a house. And me a grill. 
2. What is your dream job?
K9 Police Officer - Highway Patrol
3. Who is your celebrity crush?
Drew Barrymore. I should probably find a younger one... Emma Stone.
4. What is your favorite sports team? 
Soccer - Real Salt Lake
Football - Green Bay Packers
Baseball - Boston Red Sox
Basketball - Utah Jazz
College Football - Utah Utes
Hockey - Chicago Blackhawks
5. What was your AOL/AIM screen name back in the day? 
Bubba2222222222

^ I wish he was kidding. There really is ten twos in his screen name. 

WW : Lagoon, the Splash Pad and a First Birthday

We had a ridiculously busy weekend, in which I neglected just about everything I possibly could, except my boys. Friday I had a final for my medical math class, and then it was finally time for summer.

Saturday: Lagoon day!

We had Lagoon day with my husbands work on Saturday. We enjoyed a BBQ, Bingo, Prizes, and rides with the baby. 

My in-laws got tickets to come too and were able to hang out with the baby...and when the day was done, they took him home and Bubba and I stayed for a much needed date night! (Long story short, he hated the whales.)

Sunday was my nephew Wyatt's first birthday! We went to the splash pad in Cottonwood Heights to celebrate! It was a Monsters University party, and was SO CUTE!

Aww. I just adore these boys!

Playin' in the water!

Over all it was a fun weekend, full of family, friends, food and great memories, but man, are we tired!