Lifestyle Blogger

Easy Saint Patrick’s Day Beer Bread!

March 16, 2015 & 3 Comments

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Thank you for being here! I hope that you had a fantastic weekend! I had a great birthday weekend starting on my birthday when Hailey and my mom made me my favorite cake, Rainbow Chip, and my mother in-law helped Hailey pick out a balloon and flowers for me. Hailey’s sweet excitement made my birthday so much fun : ) Stephan made sure to have sweet little surprises up his sleeve, and we had our first date since having Logan!

I love St. Patrick’s Day and even though I don’t celebrate *quite* as enthusiastically as I did in college, I still like to do a little something to celebrate my Irish roots! I have made a couple different variations of this beer bread recipe, but this is my favorite simply because the ONLY ingredient I had to buy was the Guiness, everything else most people have on hand. You also need a bread pan, but can pick one up for a few dollars at Target or most grocery stores.

Irish Beer Bread:

Ingredients:

3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 egg

11.5 oz of Guinness beer (one bottle or measure out if using a larger can like I did)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl mix all of the dry ingredients with a wire whisk. Next, mix the egg and beer in using a large spoon. I mixed this by hand, it is a thick dough, so use your muscles ; ) Spray a 9×5 bread pan with cooking spray and pour in your dough. Bake your bread for 40-50 minutes until the top of your loaf is brown. Remember to keep in mind that you are using a dark beer, so the bread will be darker also. This bread is awesome and surprisingly a tad sweet.

As always, thank you so much for reading!! XO

POPSUGAR MUST HAVE BOX FEBRUARY 2015!

February 23, 2015 & 1 Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Thank you for being here and making me part of your day : ) Today I want to share my PopSugar Must Have Box for February with you. Once again I am disappointed with the shipping :/ It wasn’t AS bad as last month, but I got this box several days after a friend who lives in the same state, and after Valentine’s Day which this box was strongly themed around. With that said, I LOVELOVELOVE this months box, and will still use every single item, but I wish the shipping would improve to how it was a year or so ago. I have been subscribed for 26 months and shipping has seemingly gone downhill. So, the dates of delivery really seem to vary, but *usually* the PopSugar box usually arrives between the 10th-15th of every month for me…it ships from California via FedEx Smart Post, which means it goes out FedEx but arrives to my P.O Box.

If you don’t know, the box contains full size, premium quality items in all different categories: food, beauty, fashion, home, and sometimes an extra goodie too! Each box boasts a retail total of $100 or more. You can check out my review of the PopSugar Must Have Box for January 2015 here.

The February box was inspried by, “One Love, Hearts & Arrows, Red Hot, Devine Desserts, and Pampering” (a.k.a Valentine’s Day ; ) ) …ummm yes please!!

February Must Have Box:

*Note: Rose Water Bubble Bath by U.S Apothecary NOT shown because it arrived (very) damaged

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush by Tarte Cosmetics in True Love:

I was instantly over-the-moon excited by this box when I saw this! Obviously, I reeeeally love makeup, and Tarte is an amazing brand! I own a holiday blush palette from Tarte, but until now did not own any of the individual Amazonian Clay blushes. I love this shade, and it wears beautifully for a very natural flush that can be built up as needed. It is great that just a tiny tap into this is all you need because it is so highly pigmented, and this could be worn on many skintones.

$26

Rose Water Bubble Bath by U.S Apothecary:

This was a huge letdown because mine was broken : ( It leaked badly and my whole box smelled strongly of roses, but thankfully it didn’t damage my other items except the burlap bag that the next item was in. I appreciate that PopSugar always is sure to wrap items like this incase this happens, but I was still bummed! I contacted PopSugar first by email, but then recieved a much faster response by reaching out on social media. I have had two or three other issues over the course of 26 months, and always get excellent customer service once I get ahold of someone at PopSugar. If this happens to you I suggest sending a *nice* tweet to @MustHaveSupport or a Facebook message to the PopSugar Must Have Facebook page. I look forward to trying this when I get my replacement!

$30

Bamboo Heart Cutting Board & Cheese Knife by ACME Party Box Company:

I swoon over the ACME Party Box Company website, they have fantastic but fairly pricy gift ideas for everyone, and things themed for any party or celebration you could imagine! I love making little cheese and snack platters to make a night of Netflix with Stephan a little more special, so this is perfect for that! I love that this came with a little cheese knife, too!

*Similar item linked

$32

Mini Arrow Pendant Necklace by Bauble Bar:

Just like the Tarte blush, I was estatic when I saw something from Bauble Bar! I adore Bauble Bar jewelry! This little arrow necklace so dainty and cute! I think this would be adorable layered with other small necklaces, or worn alone. You can wear it at two different lengths, and I found that it laid better on the shorter length for me. This is definitely a new favorite for me, and my 3 year old Hailey gave it her nod of approval as well ; )

*Similar item linked

$32

100% Natutral Blam by Figs & Rouge in Lemon Berry:

This has such cute packaging! I really like the ever ever so slight tint and feel of this. Although I love the look of a tin style balm, I don’t like dipping my finger into it unless I have something to immediately wipe my finger off on, so I end up using balms like this less than ones in tube form. I also feel like they are less sanitary. I really like the Lemon Berry color/flavor that I got, but if you’re subscribed what kind did you get? Leave me a comment and let me know, I love hearing what other variations people received!! : )

Ravishing Rocky Road Bar by Chuao Chocolatier:

OH MY GOSH YUM!!! Salted, caramelized almonds, and marshmallows in all-natural milk chocolate? Yes, yes, yes!! This is soooo good! I was really sad when it was gone! And Steph, who isn’t a big sweets or milk chocolate fan typically, also really enjoyed the small piece I shared ; ) I think these would be awesome as a gift add-on, or a sweet thing to send to a friend or loved one…maybe a Galentine!

FingerPaints Nail Color by Sally Beauty in Romanticism Ruby:

This is a special extra and what a fun one! I love nail polish, and this is a brand I’ve never tried, so I can’t wait to try something new. I think Romanticism Ruby will be a great toe color! If you’re a PopSugar subscriber, what color did you get?

$5.50

I am THRILLED with the items in this months box, but I am frustrated with the shipping and my broken item as well. I hope that PopSugar can turn it around quickly so that I can start enjoying my box and sharing with all of you in a timely manner. This box has a retail value of $139.50 which is $100 more than the cost of the box. It really is like Christmas every month! Do you subscribe to PopSugar? What did you think about this box? Let me know in the comments! If you’d like more information on PopSugar you can find it here.

Have a great Monday!! XO

POPSUGAR MUST HAVE BOX JANUARY 2015!!

January 21, 2015 & 3 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

I finally got my hands on my PopSugar Must Have Box for January! My sweet friend (hey girl hey you know who you are! Don’t spit out your coffee if you’re at work!) got her box a whole week before me and we live in the same state. Hmm! So, the dates of delivery really seem to vary, but *usually* the PopSugar box usually arrives between the 10th-15th of every month for me…it ships from California via FedEx Smart Post, which means it goes out FedEx but arrives to my P.O Box.

I didn’t get the sheet with information about what inspired each product, which was a bit of a bummer because I like jumping into the box and being surprised but then reading about each item. I looked up this months inspirations for the box and it said, “Rejuvenate, Fresh Start, Snow, Glimmer, Energize and Refresh”.

January 2014 Must Have Box:

Pom Pom Hat by Jack + Lucy

I love this!! It’s a bit slouchy and more “hipster” than what I normally would wear, but it is super cute on!! I looove to wear gray and the pom pom is right up my ally! We got tech gloves Jack + Lucy in the January box for 2014 that I wear all the time and they’ve held up really well.

$32

12 oz Brew Glass Coffee Cup by KeepCup

I love this! First of all, it fits under my Keurig which is great because a lot of travel mugs do not. The idea is that you can take these cups to your favorite coffee shop and they are the correct size for consistent proportions. I am curious about taking a cup like this to Starbucks…has anyone done this or tried to? But let’s be real, I usually am drinking/making coffee at home, and so I can definitely get a lot of use out of it.

$26

Skin Jewel Tattoos

I started seeing these last summer, and I’ll be honest the first time I saw them is when all of the girls on the total guilty pleasure of a show, Bachelor in Paradise, were rocking them. I think they’re fun, and would definitely wear a few on my wrists in the summer when I have a bit of a (fake) tan. Also, where were these when I was in college?! How freaking cute! I would have definitely worn these alllllll summa long at the pool.

$18

Protein Gronola in Peanut Butter N’ Dark Chocolate by Nature Valley

I am breastfeeding a newborn, so I am constantly needing simple snacks because I get so hungry so fast, and I think this will be a great option. I tried it and it tastes good, I bet it will be amazing with milk or almond milk!

$3.70

eQua Yoga Hand Towel by manduka

I am excited about this one! Once I get the all clear from my doctor to workout again after baby, I can’t wait to get back into shape, and this will be an awesome gym towel!! It says yoga but I can see myself using this after the treadmill or machines.

$16

Ice Water Eyes by ToGoSpa

I love these! Did they know that I just gave birth?! Look for these in an upcoming Empties post where I let you know how they worked for me. I am hopeful ; )

$12.50

Ultra Repair Cream by First Aid Beauty

I keep seeing First Aid Beauty, and this product in particular, mentioned on other blogs I read and on YouTube videos that I watch but until now I haven’t had anything from the brand. I am thrilled to have this and can’t wait to try it out. And this is the big size, so it’s pretty nice that they gave us that and not the smaller $12 tube that is also avaliable.

$30

This box had a retail value of $138.20 and I think I will get use out of every single item in the box! I love PopSugar because it is a nice way to pamper yourself with things you probably wouldn’t buy yourself otherwise or may not know about otherwise. Do you subscribe to PopSugar? If you’d like more information you can find that right here! If you subscribe, did you enjoy your box? Please *COMMENT* to let me know!!! : )

Meet Our Newest, Littlest Love!

January 14, 2015 & 2 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

I am OVER THE MOON happy to introduce you to our new baby, Logan, who arrived on January 11th weighing 9 lbs 4 oz (!!!) and measuring 21 1/2 inches!

Due Date January 9th, 2015:

Logan is here!!!!!!!!!!

Hailey. Connor. Logan.

Thank you for letting me share our blessing with you!! I hope you don’t mind a few more picture posts popping up in the next few weeks ; ) Please subscribe to make Logan’s mommy reeeally over-the-top joyful!!

If it makes you happy…

January 12, 2015 & 4 Comments

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Who remembers that song “If It Makes You Happy” by Sheryl Crow? When I decided that I wanted to share a few things in my room that make me happy, I couldn’t get that song out of my head! I am a big believer in making life as beautiful, enjoyable, and special as possible…life is short! Surround yourself in pretty things! A quick DIY or some washi tape can completely change something from ordinary to fab!! Thank you for being here! I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! *Hopefully* I have a brand new baby boy in my arms when you’re reading this, but as I write this he still hasn’t made his appearance. I will definitely be doing an introduction post to our new little man as well! Get ready for some picture posts!!

What pretty things do you surround yourself with? What have you been loving lately? I would *love* to hear from you! Enable me ; ) Have a great start to your week!! And please comment, subscribe, and share!!! It means SOOOOMUCH to me!

POPSUGAR MUST HAVE BOX DECEMBER 2014!! BONUS POST

December 19, 2014 & 1 Comment

Hi there! Happy Friday!!

Today I have ANOTHER bonus post because I got my December PopSugar Must Have Box and have to share it with you right away! It’s suuuuch a good one!

If you don’t know, the box contains full size items in all different categories: food, beauty, fashion, home, and sometimes an extra goodie too! *Usually* the PopSugar box usually arrives between the 10th-15th of every month for me…it ships from California via FedEx Smart Post, which means it goes out FedEx but arrives to my P.O Box.

December 2014 Must Have Box:

Speckled Metallic Scarf from SPUN by Subtle Luxury

I love this! Anything metallic, especially gold, catches my eye! I absolutely love this lightweight scarf and think it’s a great way to add a little sparkle to any outfit.

$62

Sydney Necklace from Sparkle Pop

This is by far my favorite thing in the box!! It is *so* sparkly! I was doing my monthly unboxing with my 3 year old, and she nearly broke my heart when she said “Mom! Check and see if there is another one in the bag” because she loved it so much, too. I couldn’t blame her, it’s stunning!

$42

Platinum Bowl by Canvas Duaville

This bowl is plain matte white on the outside, but on the inside it is a super sparkly platinum! This looks PERFECT with the Sydney Necklace above tossed inside! I adore this for a jewelry catch-all.

$29

Be Legendary Long-Wear Lip Lacquer

This deep bordeaux color is perfect for winter! I thought that staying power was great, and I haven’t braved it without a lip liner yet, but with a liner I didn’t have any bleeding or feathering. I really like this color, the gloss formula (again, my DRY lips need it!), and the stain it left was beautiful! Even after eating out at a mexican resturant!

$24

Parcel Tags from Knot & Bow

These little tags are cute! I think they would look adorable with a name written in gold sharpie : ) I don’t love these for Christmas gifts, but I like them for other gift giving, or labeling around the house! I love that these are from an etsy.com shop!

Cupcake Mix in Vanilla Bean from William-Sonoma

I was hoping for some fancy smancy chocolate this month, but I am not complaining about this ; ) I love William-Sonoma cooking ware, but haven’t tried any of their mixes. Hailey, my 3 year old, LOVES to bake with me! So, we will have fun with these even though I wouldn’t pay this much for cupcake mix myself : )

$14.95

I looooove this box! The $175.95 total value is fabulous and I think this box is absolutely worth the $39 price! Do you subscribe to PopSugar? If you would like to you can sign up here for $39/month! If there are any other subscriptions that you think I need to try, let me know in the comments or find me on social media! It’s always LeahTackles : ) Good luck getting all of your last minute Christmas shopping, baking, and wrapping done this weekend!!

PICTURES OF OUR SWEET 2 YEAR OLD!!

December 18, 2014 & 7 Comments

Hi there! Happy Thursday!

Today is a bonus post because I really wanted to do a special post for our son, Connor, who turned 2 last weekend!!! He is the sweetest little man and oh so busy! We are so proud and can’t wait to see where the next year takes you Prince-C! We love you so!

Enjoy some picture cuteness : ) Thank you for reading!! XO

DIY SNOWMEN HANDPRINT ORNAMENTS!

December 10, 2014 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!! I hope that you enjoy this post and will stay awhile : ) Last year for Christmas my kids, Hailey and Connor, made some of our friends and family some DIY ornaments, and they turned out so well that we decided to make a fun ornament this year as well. I haven’t decided if this will be our gift from them this year, but we did have fun making some for our house!

DIY SNOWMEN ORNAMENTS:

What You’ll Need:

Large Clear Plastic Ornaments (*Tip: I found mine at Dollar Tree and Meijer, but most big box stores or craft stores will have these!)

Soft Snow Shimmer Flakes or whatever you choose to put inside your ornament (blue ribbon, glitter, or confetti would all be fun options!)

White Acrylic Paint

Assorted Acrylic Paint Colors

Paint Brushes (I used one medium sized one and one very small pointed one)

Step 1:

Paint your childs hand with the white paint and have them make a hand print on the bulb. For my 3 1/2 year old I just showed her how to put her fingers on the bulb and not wiggle them around, but for my almost 2 year old I found it easier to just hold his hand steady while pushing the ornament into his palm myself.

*TIP: If the fingers wiggle or the hand print doesn’t turn out I was able to quickly wash off the bulb, dry it, and redo the print!

Step 2:

Let the ornaments dry completely. I found that using small cups worked great for this so they wouldn’t roll.

Step 3:

Paint the details onto your snowmen! If you have an older child, they can do this part, or you can do it yourself. I had a lot of fun adding top hats, holly, earmuffs, scarfs, and of course that carrot nose! You could also use paint markers or permanent markers instead of paint to do this part if you prefer.

Step 4:

Let your ornaments dry completely!

Step 5:

Open the top of the ornament and put the snow flakes into the ornament. I found the using a funnel and a pen to shove the stubborn flakes down worked really well. You can put as much or as little in as you want, but I only filled mine up about 1/4 of the way.

Step 6:

Wrap to give away or hang on your tree!

TOOT TOOT! Seriously sorry for tooting my own horn, really it’s just a proud mommy moment, but how cute are these?! I know this is a SUPER popular craft on Pinterest right now (speaking of, “pin” mine if you like it!) but I thought it would be nice to show a simple step-by-step that was not intimidating. This *won’t* be a “Pinterest fail”, promise : )

Again, thank you for reading and have a great weekend!! XO

DIY CHRISTMAS GIFTS!!!

December 1, 2014 & 2 Comments

Hi there! Happy Monday!!

I hope that all of my American subscribers had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and families! Can you believe it is DECEMBER?! I am having an especially hard time letting that sink in since it means my baby turns 2 this month, we have Christmas of course, and our newest addition is due in early January.

Because we have so much going on this month, I have been trying to get as much Christmas shopping and crafting done early as possible, and today I want to share two simple but adorable Christmas gift DIY projects.

Christmas Sock Coffee Cozy

I love this and am planning to keep one for myself! Too fun : )

What You’ll Need:

A Pair of Christmas Socks

A Travel Coffee Mug (*Tip: Starbucks has the *cutest* holiday mugs this year!)

A glue gun or other strong glue of your choice

Optional: Chocolate to fill the cup with or a giftcard to hide inside : )

Step 1:

Cut the sock so it will be long enough to wrap around the mug (make sure to not use the heel part of the sock).

Step 2:

Glue the two ends of the piece of sock together so that you form a coffee cozy.

Step 3:

Put the cozy on the mug and fill the mug with chocolates, a giftcard, or whatever else you’d like!

Pretty Nail Polish Gift Bag:

I love the way these turned out and plan on making several more!!

What You’ll Need:

A Small Cellophane Bag

A Stapler

A Piece of Plain Paper or Christmas Scrapbook Paper

A Red Pen

Crinkle Paper or Confetti

Chocolate or Christmas Candy of Your Choice

Nail Polish

Step 1:

Fill the cellophane bag with the crinkle paper or confetti and then add in your chocolates and nail polish.

Step 2:

Measure the paper so it is the length of the top of the bag and fold it in half lengthwise so it will fit over the top of the bag, and then cut your paper. Write a note or greeting on the paper and then staple it to the top of the bag.

Step 3:

Pass out your cute little bags! These also make great stocking stuffers, and you can put other items like giftcards or lip gloss.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post! Please “Pin” it to your Pinterest account! It’s easy, just scroll over any picture until the pink “Pin” button appears or use the share buttons at the bottom of this post. Have a wonderful start to your week and MONTH! It’s time to get holiday ready!!

Easy Reindeer Candy Cane DIY and Elf On the Shelf Ideas!

November 26, 2014 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday! And Happy Thanksgiving Eve (that is SO a thing! promise) : )

My 3 year old, Hailey, and I have so much fun making crafts together, and during the holidays it seems extra special. Today I want to share a very simple and very fun craft that we did last week together on one of her snow days home from school.

Because Thanksgiving is TOMORROW (already!!!), I know a lot of homes will have their Elf on the Shelf returning to visit on Friday or soon after, so I have enough Elf-y ideas for Black Friday through Christmas Eve to get you ready! Our elf, McJingle Toes, was VERY popular in our house last year, and now that our oldest is really into it, we have to up our game this year ; )

EASY REINDEER CANDY CANE DIY:

What You’ll Need:

Candy Canes

Pipe Cleaners

Tiny Googly Eyes

Small Red Pom Pom

Glue

Step 1:

Wrap the pipe cleaner around the top of the candy cane and shape into antlers.

Step 2:

Glue on the googly eyes and red nose.

Step 3:

Enjoy your cute little craft! These make great add-ons for holiday gifts or baked goods, and you can really make them your own! I think next year we will add some ribbon, brown noses for some of the reindeer…who knows what else!

ELF ON THE SHELF IDEAS:

1) “I’m Back” sign with door decorated like a present or balloons and if it’s your first year doing it have your Elf ask for name!

2) Elf head first into a holiday M&M bag

3) Googly eyes on fruit with “I’m watching you” sign that Elf is holding

4) New toothbrushes as gift with a note or smile written in toothpaste by Elf

5) Red noses drawn on picture frames with dry erase markers or small pom poms

6) Mustache on frame with dry erase marker and paper mustache on Elf

7) Elf hanging off Keurig or coffee pot to help make mom or dads coffee

8) Elf in a rocket ship made out of toliet paper tubes

9) Elf making a micro marshmallow (in hot cocoa section of grocery stores) or mini marshmallow snow angel

10) Make “Elf Milk” with green food coloring in fridge

11) Sled going down the coffee table

12) Elf playing Candy Land or similar game with “friends” like Barbie or stuffed animals

13) Make “Super Elf” with cape and badge

14) Elf inside a “snowglobe” made from Pyrex bowl and mini marshmallows

15) Elf hanging from a slinky

16) Elf with supplies to make Jesus a birthday cake or birthday party

17) Elf with directions for a shoebox donation or similar charity project for kids

18) Elf making a snowman scene out of marshmallows, frosting, tooth picks, etc

19) Elf being a pointsettia in a flower pot with construction paper around face to make him the flower

20) Elf setting up a fun craft project for kids like a gingerbread house kit

21) Elf making a pancake breakfast! This one is great for weekends. Make snowmen pancakes with bacon scarf, blueberry eyes, marshmallow snow, etc

22) Elf on a sleigh made out of 2 DVDs and 2 plastic candy canes filled with candy

23) Elf sitting on canned goods and a note to take them to a food bank or collection center

24) Elf with paper to write a letter to Santa

25) Elf laying on the beach with sunglasses, sun, and water made out of paper and sand made out of brown sugar

26) Elf in sink with water dyed blue with food coloring and aluminum foil boat or fishing in the sink for Goldfish Crackers

27) *Note: If you started the day after Thanksgiving and did it everyday this day #27 would be Christmas Eve

Put Christmas Eve PJs into a box with candy, popcorn, and Christmas DVDs to watch as a family that night and a goodnight note or sign from your Elf.

As always, if you have found this post helpful, interesting, or liked it PLEASE share it and “pin” it to your Pinterest account! All the buttons you need are at the bottom of every post!! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with loved ones! Please travel safely! Oh, and be kind to people on Black Friday, especially the retail workers!!

MUAH!

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