BIRTHDAY VACATION TO...

Sigh,

THE BEACH!

We are actually jetsetting off on vacation today to one of my favorite places - Naples, Florida. 6 days of pure bliss where the only thing I have to worry about is what bathing suit I will wear and if we will go to the beach or the pool for the day! I think I say that each time we visit here, but hey, it's true...

My birthday is Saturday and I can't think of a place I'd rather spend it than there with my husband. It's so beautiful, relaxing, and the sunsets are so gorgeous (ah! I can't wait to see the sunsets on the beach!). Pretty sure I will be "celebrating" all week, because celebrating life events is fun, right?! Oh, and we have a boat cruise planned for my birthday so that helps too. :) Did I mention no work, just the sand between my toes, husband by my side, and palm trees galore for the next s.i.x lovely days?

My mind is obviously already in vacation mode so don't mind me.

Or, as some would say, "the beach: where doing absolutely nothing is doing something."

Thank you, thank you all for your {early}birthday wishes, too!
They are so appreciated-you have no idea.

If you want to follow along while I take all kinds of vacation pictures that might slightly annoy you, you can follow me on instagram: @katiewkrysh.

PS: Steph will still be hosting our SPD link-up tomorrow, so be sure to link up on her blog! 

 

EDAMAME BEAN SALAD {RECIPE}

Happy Tuesday bloggies.

I've got a yummy and really healthy recipe for you today. It was inspired by a salad I saw at our local grocery store but there are two big differences between them: 1. This one doesn't contain ROCKS and 2. I'm sure it's much healthier because it doesn't include a heavy sauce on it.

Rocks? Yeah, rocks. There I was the other day just minding my own biz eating the salad when I bit down on a rock {ouch!} and broke it in two {and am lucky I still have my teeth!}. It was terrible! End result? Kroger, where I bought it, is sending me a $15.00 gift card to make up for it. Hmmmm.... I won't mention that the manager didn't even apologize either..I won't do it...

Anyways...so I was determined to clean this recipe up a bit by only using lemon juice (you can use red wine vinegar too!) and it's delicious. The combination of ingredients in this salad is so refreshing and tasty!

Ingredients:
+1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
+1/2 cup chickpeas. rinsed and drained
+1/4 cup cilantro, diced
+1/2 red pepper, diced
+1/2 yellow pepper, diced
+1/4 red onion, diced really small
+3/4 cup edamame (cooked and without the shells)
+Lemon juice, to taste
+Sea salt, to taste

optional: red wine vinegar

Okay so when I made this, I didn't really measure anything, so if these measurements are off just adjust them to your taste or how much you need at the time. Do you like black beans more than chickpeas? Use more black beans. I just threw all the ingredients in a bowl, mix, and let marinate in the refrigerator for a bit...so easy and sometimes I just don't want to get all serious and measure things out. ;)

The best part is you can just make enough for 2 people or use more of the ingredients if you're serving at a party or cookout. Get busy and make this!

PS: Not sure if I have any Oklahoma readers out there, but wanted to send my thoughts and prayers out to your state. Hugs. hugs. hugs. during this difficult time.

 

A Wedding, A Fresh Cut, and Bonfires.

Proof of a great weekend goes a little like this...

Exhibit A. 

Our little Rocky got a short haircut for summer and you all decided via instagram that he looks like a. Boo {the famous Pom}, b. a lion cub, and c. a fox. Ha. He is loving it!

He also had a play date with this little one {baby Maddox} and wanted to kiss him the whole time...

 

Exhibit B.

Celebrating my girlfriend Jen getting married! She was a stunning bride and we had such a good time at the wedding. How cute is the rustic centerpiece?

Exhibit C.

A bonfire and drinks with our neighbor friends.

 

Exhibit D.

We tried out Datelivery! Whaaa? Wondering what in the world I'm talking about?

Datelivery is a new monthly subscription that focuses on providing unique and creative date night experiences for couples to enjoy in the comfort of their home. Each month they ship out a different themed date night! Our theme for this box was an "Iron Chef Pizza Challenge"...

The only things we had to buy were any toppings we wanted, cheese, and sauce. It was nice that we didn't have to "think" of what to do for date night and of course, we are big pizza fans so we loved it all. If you are looking for a fun/creative way for different date night ideas-go check out datelivery!

*You can get 25% off with the code "KEEPCALM". In order to receive the first box, you must order by May 25th! (someone's birthday...hint hint me)


Exhibit E. 

My peony bush has finally bloomed!

What made your weekend good?

Now, I know this is about to be the start of a great next 7 days because it's my birthday week! Not that I'm excited or anything...

Go link up with Sami and tells us about your weekend. 

PS: Did you miss my $100 Visa Gift Card giveaway from Friday?! NOW is the time to enter :)

Be back tomorrow with a healthy recipe for summer!

 

NEW MAKEUP FAVORITES {Giveaway}

We've made it to Friday!

Today, let's talk date nights and some of my new favorite makeup items.

Sometimes my girlfriends ask me why I care about what I look like when we go out because I'm married. Then, I proceed to look at them with crazy eyes and say "so that means it's acceptable to look like crap?! No!" I still want to look good for Billy and for myself. I don't want to just let myself go...I don't think anyone does.

Along with that, I'm a big advocate of scheduling date nights with Billy. We might not have any kids yet, but it's still easy to get caught up in everyday things, our friends, and just our normal busy schedules that we forget to spend actual quality time for just the two of us outside the house. One of our favorite things to do for date nights is a simple idea, but just trying new places for dinner and grabbing dessert somewhere together afterward.

I'm the first person to admit I'm not a makeup expert. When we have date nights, I usually spend much more time on my hair than my makeup. However, this girl loves to experiment with products that seem easy to use and are wallet friendly!

Enter ALMAY's Smart Shade Mousse makeup and Intense i-color Bold Nudes Kit:

also known as.... your new best friends.

I'm not a big fan of liquid foundation, but sometimes I want more coverage than just powder and bronzer. The Smart Shade Mousse is perfect for this. For date nights-I will use a concealer first, use ALMAY's Mousse on top, then finish with some bronzer {Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess is my absolute favorite!}.

This mousse is my new favorite product, especially for the spring and summer. It's really easy to apply and looks so natural, which is exactly what I want. I apply it with a brush and it instantly blends with my skin to create the perfect look. It's so soft (almost feels velvety!) and doesn't make my face oily or greasy. I use the light/medium shade of the mousse right now, but might transition to the medium once I get more tan this summer.

Some of you may have noticed ALMAY'S eye shadow kits for your specific eye color in the store. I use the bold nudes (nudes are my go-to) i-color kit for blue eyes and it really does make my eyes pop! I tried to take a picture of me wearing both products in good light, so you guys get the idea...

 

 good ole selfie pic, ha. But the kit truly does make my eyes stand out and I love the look of the mousse on my face.

The eye shadow kit gets more bonus points for being extremely easy to use by showing you on the back how to apply each shade. Shade #1 I apply on my brow bone, #2 I apply all over my lid, and #3 my outer corner and in the crease, like so...

The only thing left to do is put on some eyeliner and mascara and I'm ready to head out the door. Honestly, my makeup routine probably takes me ten minutes or less to do. And it needs to because I've got a cute guy waiting for me... ;)

For more information, visit Almay's website, and don't forget to like Almay on Facebook!

Now, for the awesome giveaway: All you have to do is answer this question below and each comment will automatically be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card!

WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO DATE NIGHT LOOK?

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! We have our first wedding of the year on Saturday that we are excited to go to. Lastly, I did a fun feature/interview with Shop at Home and would love for you to go check them out. If you like great coupons and deals on shopping, then trust me, you will like them!


No duplicate comments.
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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/16/13-6/16/13.
Be sure to visit the Almay brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

 

SPD: MASON JAR TO GO CUP W/ CUPCAKE LINER

Happy SPD Day!

If this doesn't project doesn't scream summer, I don't know what does. 

Who can possibly hate a mason jar?!

I guess I can only speak for myself here, but I absolutely love them, and am in love with this simple project.  They actually sell these to go cups on Etsy, but why buy when you can make them on your own for so cheap?

You'll see how easy it is. Let's get started...

What you need:

+Mason Jar 

+Sharpie/pen

+A drill-or for those who don't want to use a power tool-just use a hole punch that cuts through metal!

+1/4" Rubber Grommets (found at hardware store for $.69 cents-eyeball the size that a straw can fit through)



What You Do:

Figure out where you want your straw to go on the lid. 

Place a rubber grommet where you want the hole to go.

Make a mark in the center with the sharpie or pen.

This is where you will drill or hole punch the hole for the straw. If the hole isn't large enough, just keep punching or drilling around the hole to make it bigger to fit the straw. 

Take your grommet and push it into the hole. You don't want the hole too big because then your grommet will move around. 

Stick a straw through the hole and put the lid on top. Then, if you want to be creative and add a cupcake liner, just cut or punch a hole in the cupcake liner and then screw on the top to the jar! 

I adore how the cupcake liner gives it extra sass...
{please note: the cupcake liner isn't the actual lid-it just goes on top of the metal lid for decoration!}

In as easy as 1, 2, 3 (ok and 4), you have your cute new to go or travel mason jar!
My "pinspiration" for this project came from this pin/tutorial, and then I just decided to add the cupcake liner. 

*Katie tested, Pin APPROVED!*

What do you think?! Did you know it could be done that easy?
You could use these for parties..as favors..the sky is the limit friends!

Now it's your turn to show me what ya got...

**Please follow these simple rules**

+Link up using the linky tool below.

+Link back to Steph and I's blogs in your post (be kind!), so other people can know about the link up!

+Visit other blogs to get new inspiration and find new friends.