SkinnyMint TeaTox

So, this showed up in my mailbox today!

I heard about SkinnyMint's 28 Day TeaTox on one of my favorite blogs, http://racheltalbott.com

I am excited to give this a shot, and will do an update once I am all done. The kit comes with enough tea bags for you to do the morning boost for 28 days and the night cleanse for 14 nights! 

Let me know below if you have given this a shot and what you think! 

XO.

Weekend Recap

So this past weekend was kinda just to awesome to not designate a post to! Philip had decided a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to put together a weekend where all of the family came together and just had a fun day out in the sun, fishing, BBQ'ing, and more! The day turned out to be better than I could have ever expected and I think we were both so happily surprised with everyone that was able to make it! 

We were blessed with such a beautiful day that went from absolutely freezing to completely beautiful in the matter of an hour! 

We spent most of the morning fishing in the hopes of catching well, anything and everything haha

Philip's grandma loves to fish and it was so nice getting to see her in her element!

Good cast Lynda! (Philip's mom and my soon to be Mother-In-Law)

Philip's Aunt Leeann patiently waiting for a fish! 

Philip's Adorable Aunt Wendy! 

Don't even get me started with these two cuties!

We really had such an amazing time, the cookout was delicious, the weather was beautiful, all in all it was an amazing day spent with family! 

The next morning I woke up to Philip telling me to get ready because we were going to do something new and fun! He surprised me by taking me to The Villagio Theatre! I have for awhile now wanted to try one of these new movie theaters that seem to be popping up everywhere that are a little more extravagant! The whole experience is just different! I wish I had taken a picture inside the theatre! Every seat is a full recliner that you have all to yourself! That goes from perfectly sitting up to literally laying down! Each chair also has a little desk/table that you can slide in front of you because... they have a full restaurant! They bring the food right to your seat! Not your typical hotdogs and popcorn either. Philip had a bleu cheese burger with fries and I had a chicken salad sandwich with garlic parmesan fries! They were both delicious! 

We went and saw "Kingsman: The Secret Service" and I have to say, it was INCREDIBLE! Loved it from start to finish! If you have not seen it already, go do it! I highly recommend it! From there we spent the day shopping and just hanging out and...

I have turned an Android lover into an iPhone lover! Whoop Whoop, welcome to the club babe!

We finished the weekend off having a Mexican feast with my family at Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant. Talk about delicious! If you are ever in the Tampa Bay area you should check it out for lunch or dinner. Trust me, I love me some Mexican food, and they know how to throw down in the kitchen! 

All in all, great weekend! 

XO

Wedding Planning (Part 2) The Venue

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white...

Wait, not yet! 

So you know how I told you wedding planning required some serious thought and planning skills, well I was not lying to you! Trust me, the second you get engaged, the questions begin to FLOOD in! "Have you guys set a date yet?", "Where are you thinking about having it?", "You're going to invite me right!?" - that has to be my least favorite one! Excuse my rant, but whoa! Where did that become an acceptable question? 

For Philip and I, the first thing that we did, that really kick started the wedding planning process was looking up venues, and touring them! I scoured Pinterest for months trying to figure out what I needed to know/ask when it came to picking a venue, and this is what I have come up with... 

What style or theme are you going for?

Before choosing a venue, you have to narrow down which ones you are interested in! Do you want to get married on the beach, in a rustic setting, in a church, do you want a destination wedding? This is the first thing to really think about before touring venues. Pinterest is great for this! Create a Wedding Board on Pinterest to start saving things you like, before you know it, it will be 3 am and you will have pinned 250 things! It happens to the best of us!

Once you have selected your style, work out your budget!

You need to figure out how much you are planning on spending overall, and then how much of that do you want to contribute towards your venue. Once you have your budget in place, stick to it, and stay within it!

Figure out if this is a place that you can hold your ceremony and your reception.

Our venue hosts both, but is a separate fee for both. You'll need to factor that in to the planning and budget. Some places don't host both and you need to coordinate with two locations. 

Questions to ask the venue:

Do you offer coordination services?

Now this is completely up to you! I decided that I wanted the coordination services and was quickly validated by all of the vendors asking if we had. I have been reassured over and over again that this was the way to go so that on our big day we can focus on each other, our guests, and having an amazing night, rather than running around helping vendors set up and answering questions about parking and the bar. Keep in mind, this will be an additional cost for most places, but it is well worth it!

Do you have my specific date in mind?

If you have already picked a date and it is set in stone, make sure to find out that they do still have your date available! If you are flexible, begin working out dates that could be a good option and pick one! Remember, venues start booking dates about 1 1/2 in advance so you want to start this process sooner rather than later! 

What is your maximum number of guests?

This is such an important question to ask your venue! Most places are only permitted to have so many, so wiggle room beyond that number is rare. I would suggest drafting your guest list and going from there, you would be surprised how many people you know! Philip and I had planned on an intimate, small wedding and when our venue told us that they had a max of 120 we scoffed at the number and thought we were completely fine! Now, drafting the guest list, I have hit 120+. Also remember, you have to count some of your vendors into that headcount. Your officiant, the photographer, videographer, DJ, those people all count as part of your headcount! 

How many hours are included, and how about set up and pre-wedding?

You need to figure out how many hours in total you will have, how early you and family can come to begin setting up and how much time you will have to get ready! This will vary a lot from place to place, make sure the policy they have in place works for you! 

What is your policy for vendors? 

Most places have a preferred vendor list of people that they allow to cater, provide services, etc. Make sure that you like your options or see if they are open if you have something specific in mind! A great way to test this is to see if they are having an open house day where they bring in their preferred caterers and what not and allow you to see them in action. This is what we ended up doing with the venue we loved and were sold and ready to sign the paperwork that day! 

What is your policy on alcohol?

Find out how they service your bar needs. Do they have options, open bar, cash bar, etc. This is something you are going to find to be a little more strict then anything else due to liquor licenses. For example, our venue only allowed one company for bar services which came with one set of prices. Make sure these prices work for you!

What will the seating situations be like and at what cost?

Our venue rents the tables and chairs but it is at an additional cost. Figure out what that is and what you can afford. 

What is your parking and bathroom situations like? 

If this is an outdoor wedding, what is our backup plan in case it rains?

Is there anything you do NOT allow?

This is such an important question! For example, our wedding is in a barn and is an active working farm to this day. For that reason, they do not allow fake flowers to avoid the horses eating fallen petals. You need to make sure that none of these exclusions interfere with something specific you had planned! 

Let me know below if you have other tips and tricks that I may have forgot, or any advice for more wedding planning!! 

For us, we decided to choose the rustic setting. I knew I wanted something that was romantic, beautiful, rustic but also classic and timeless. I am pretty positive that the moment Philip and I set foot on The Lange Farm's property, we were sold! We decided to host our Ceremony under The Joshua Tree, and our Reception inside the Antique Barn for our evening wedding. The barn is incredible! It is a two story barn that opens up to face the blacktop where we will put our tables and chairs! There are lights strung everywhere, and it is filled with hay bales and whisky barrels! I cannot wait for our special day! 

Click here to see some more beautiful photos of The Lange Farm!

We were happy with all of their policies and restrictions and loved the location and the staff! We were fortunate that they had our date, which will fall on the weekend right after our 10 year anniversary! I get so excited every time I look at pictures of the Lange Farm, and they are pretty open and allow me to plan and set it up however I would like! 

I hope you found this post helpful if you are also getting married and were not really sure where to start! From here, this kind of set everything into motion where we were able to start contacting vendors, figure out our decor, and more! 

XO

February Birchbox, Unboxed!

Hello Febrauary & Hello Birchbox!

I just received my February Birchbox, and I have to say, I am really falling in love with this monthly subscription. 

In this month's box, I got:

- Benefit's Roller Lash Mascara (I have been wanting to try Benefit's mascara for a LONG time but have been hesitant because 1. the price and 2. I am actually allergic to 90% of mascaras and I did not want to spend a decent amount on something I couldn't use. 

- Camille Beckman Hand Repair Therapy 

- Coola Face SPF 30 (have heard so many good things about Coola!)

- Marcelle Make-up Remover

- Juicy Couture in the scent Hollywood Royal

Once again, this month did not fail me. I started receiving Birchbox last month and was super pleased with my box and it seems to be keeping up with itself! I actually am thinking about purchasing two different things from last month's box that I have used up and am wishing I still had more of! (The Vasanti Face Wash and the Harvey Prince Perfume!) 

I might have to try another subscription in addition to this one like Ipsy or something of the sort! These are such fun and inexpensive ways to treat myself every now and then! It didn't hurt that this one arrived on Valentines Day, Happy Valentines Day to me! 

XO

DIY Gift Idea: Customized Mugs!

Hello out there!

With Valentines Day right around the corner, I thought I would share a really fun, and super easy DIY gift idea that you could customize to really fit just about anyone. 

From coffee drinkers, to tea lovers, I think it is safe to say, anyone really would adore this gift. 

So lets jump in,

Philip and I made these (pictured above) for his Grandparents this past Christmas! It was a fun project that allowed us to get creative, and personalize something for two people that we adore! 

You're going to need:

• White Glass Mugs (we purchased ours at Target)
• A pack of Sharpie Markers in the colors of your choice
• Acetone (nail polish remover)
• An oven

That's really all you need!

Like I said, we bought our mugs at Target, where you can also find Sharpies, and Acetone.. just not an oven, but let's hope you already have that part taken care of. 

First things first, wipe down your mug with the acetone. I found it easier to just use the acetone pads that are presoaked and come in a pack. Make sure to wipe down any part that you plan on writing on, and let that air dry. 

Next, go ahead and make your design, and don't worry, if you mess up, it comes right off with a swipe of the acetone pad! 

Once you are content with your design, pop that bad boy into the oven at 350 degrees. Do not preheat your oven! Throw the mugs in while it is still cool so that the temperature adjustment is not too harsh and doesn't crack the mugs. Let them bake for about 30 minutes and also let them sit in the oven until it is completely cool, we left ours in overnight. 

Once they are completely cooled, you are done! Ready to wrap and gift! 

*Make sure not to wash these in the dishwasher, it will fade and eventually come off altogether, these are items you want to hand wash!* 

I hope you enjoyed this post, and get creative, and come up with your own cute personalized mugs to gift this Valentines Season. 

XO

- Oh, and also, don't get too caught up in the thought and pressure that seems to lurk in the shadows on Valentines Day. It's just another day of the year. If you don't have a special someone, treat yourself to something nice! Have a girls night out! If you do have someone in your life that you adore, don't think this is the only day to show you care. There are 364 days that are just as important. I am actually babysitting all weekend long and Philip is joining the kids and I on Saturday for a trip to see the new Spongebob Movie! Might not be what you imagine as the most romantic, but that's okay, because we take advantage of any day to have a good time and show we care! I guess my point here was don't get too caught up in the idea of Valentines Day, that you let it ruin the moment! 

Get To Know The Girl Behind The Blog

Hey there,

As you may, or may not know, I am part of the Tone It Up team and participate in most of their weekly, and monthly challenges and what not. One thing that is trending in the community is "20 Facts About Me".  I was just tagged in the community and I thought rather than only posting it over there, why not share it a little more publicly? If you're reading this thing anyway you may want to know a little bit more about the girl behind the blog. 

So, here we go. 

1. I was born May 18th, 1992 in Sunny Florida, where it rains more than it shines, and have been here ever since, and honestly have no intention on moving! 

2. My parents decided to name me Nicole after my dad mentioned the name to my mom and my Grandmother called the same day to tell her she thought she found a good name for me, I guess my mom thought because they both came up with the same name, then it was meant to be. 

3. Growing up I was a complete tom-boy. The pictures may be deceiving because my mom loved to dress me up and do my hair, I wanted nothing more than to be out in the dirt. I was the girl growing up that was friends with all the boys, had a rats nest on the back of my head made of hair, and ran around all day catching lizards and using them as earrings. If I wasn't trading Pokemon cards, or playing Sega, I was outside playing until sunset. 

Hopefully that photo sheds some light... I am the football head on the far right. 

4. I was a gymnast for 8 years and competed as part of the Gemini Gymnastics Team for many years before stopping altogether. 

5. I met my future husband at the small age of 14 and he was my first, and only boyfriend that I have ever had. The first time I saw him was in our 9th grade science class and he was still a skater boy rocking his black AC/DC shirt. Smitten!

6. I currently work as an Executive Assistant for a great and growing company that keeps me on my toes! I never thought it was possible to be this happy working an 8-5, but I am! 

7. I am a Foodie! I love all things food! Trying new things, searching for recipes, watching cooking shows, I am game! I think that food is such a fun part of life and love learning how to cook certain things, and am willing to try any new food at least once! On the other hand, I am not the best cook, which is why you will see many recipe and food posts involving Philip. He is the master in our house, and he is pretty darn good too I might add. I on the other hand have been involved in more kitchen fires than I am proud to talk about so I avoid heat at all costs. I come up with most of the meals we prepare and the recipes, but the execution is where I need Philip's expertise! (You'll never see him more afraid then when I am chopping things in the kitchen, it's like he has 911 on speed dial waiting to tell them I have amputated a finger). 

8. I did not grow up religious but found my way to Jesus on my own as an adult. I think because of this, I am open to understanding that people will come to you with different beliefs that they also believe to be true, which is why it is better to just coexist then argue. To each his own!

9. I am a planner! Like for real though. I make morning to do lists, afternoon to do lists, weekly to do lists, and monthly goals lists. I shop with a grocery list, I keep track of all of my expenses on a monthly budget sheet. I need organization in order to function! 

10. I am a home body. I am 100% content with sitting home on a Friday night with Philip, Netflix, some good food, and some candles lit and calling it a night. 

11. I am a TV junkie! I get hooked and will watch one TV show at a time and just go through all of the seasons until I finish. I don't actually watch a lot of live television or anything right after it comes on because we don't have cable.  Philip and I accidently unplugged our cable a couple years ago and it went 3 months before we realized. From that moment on, we knew we did not need cable. On the note of television shows though, a few of my favorite are - The Office, One Tree Hill, Sex and the City, Big Brother, Parks and Recreation, Orange is the New Black, Nashville, New Girl, Friends, Gilmore Girls, The League, Workaholics, I could go on for days! 

12. As much as I love my TV, I am also a bit of a book worm and really just love to read for fun! I have loved reading since I was a child, and often will fall asleep with a good book in hand. 

13. I am OBSESSED with animals. Any and all! I am a complete dog person and have two boys that are my life! If I had a bigger home with a backyard I would have more dogs by now! I currently have a 5 yr old Husky and a 4 yr old Whippet and am wanting a Pug so so so bad! I love spending time with animals, and could never hurt a fly. I am only truly terrified of one animal, and that is the squirrel. I hate them. 

14. I spend more money on home decor than I do anything else! I am always looking for ways to spruce up my space and make it more homey! I literally have a check list of things I want done or things I have been looking to find! I am currently working on finding the perfect plants for a ledge I have in my kitchen.. let me know if you know of a place with good deals! 

15. I am NOT a morning person, but I force myself to be one. I am a dead sleeper! I can sleep anywhere and everywhere, I love my sleep. I drive Philip insane with how long my alarm goes off in the morning before I finally hear it. If I let myself, I would sleep a good 10-12 hours every single night. On the other hand I am typically up at 5-6 on weekdays and 8-9 on weekends. I find myself to be able to get a lot done in the morning such as daily planning, getting ready, excercise, cleaning, etc. One thing I have found really helpful in training myself to be more of a morning person is the app Sleep Cycle. It's I believe .99 cents and measures your sleep patterns and wakes you up when you are in your lightest sleep cycle, waking you up easier and you don't feel as tired.  

16. I have a serious (somewhat stalkerish) crush on Mark Wahlberg! I met him in person when I was a kid and fell in love immediately. I saw him at a golf charity function and all I could muster up to say was that his fly was down. Darn it! 

17. Dolce and Galbana's Light Blue is my go to power scent. I wear it on any important day, from work, to social, to dates, it's my signature! 

18. I got into a car accident when I was in high school where a deer rammed the side of my car. To this day, I refuse to drive down that road at night. I recently did, just to overcome my fear and a deer ran in front of my car! No I am not kidding. I ended up in the ER that night with some pretty bad head wounds.

Sorry if you are sensitive to blood! 

19. I LOVE TO CRAFT! I absolutely love letting my creative juices flow. Anytime I can put things together to make my own twist on something, I am a happy camper! 

20. My ALL-TIME favorite movie is "The Punisher" - it never gets old in my book, I could watch it 1000 times! I love Thomas Jane and think he did such and amazing job at bringing the comic to life! (On another note - LOVE comic books)! 

Thanks for taking some time to get to know me a little better! If you have a blog, I challenge you to take part in this Tag! And comment your link down below, so I can get to know you!

XO

My Go-To Healthy Breakfast

Hello there! 

If you're on this post, it must mean you are looking for something healthy and delicious to kick start your day! I know you've probably heard this a million times before but breakfast really is the MOST important meal of the day, for so many reasons. 

Overnight your body goes into a fasting mode while you sleep, hence the term "breakfast" or "break-fast". Once you wake up, you have no fuel/energy to use up to get you going for the day. Not only will that leave you feeling sluggish, but will also cause cravings and lead you to wanting a bigger lunch than if you had filled your tank in the morning. Now you may think skipping meals is an effective way to lose weight, but you are so wrong! Our bodies are built for survival. If you starve your body, it is going to kick into that mode of doing whatever it takes to survive, including storing excess fats and waste thinking it is being deprived for later. If you want to shed the bad and the bloat, you have to feed your body with the good. The bad will eventually filter its way out. 

That is why people bloat water, its the body's way of holding on to what is most important. If you consume enough water, every single day, the bloat will eventually disappear, because your body is not relying on the bloat, but rather the intake. 

Now any who, I am getting carried away. Here is my go to healthy breakfast! 

Protein Pancakes! 

As part of the Tone It Up team, breakfast protein pancakes are just essential! I have linked their step by step ingredient video here in case you are interested...

Don't you just love them!

Essentially though, you will need

• Half a banana
• 1/2 TBS Almond Milk
• 1/4 C Egg Whites
• A dash of cinnamon
• A scoop of your preferred protein (I use the Perfect Fit in Vanilla)

You are just going to mash the banana in a bowl, slowly mix in the almond milk, egg whites, cinnamon, and protein until fully combined, and then pour onto a greased pan over medium heat, at about 3-5 minutes you will need to flip! 

There you have it, the perfect, and delicious, protein filled breakfast! 

It kinda makes you feel like your indulging too! I mean come on, pancakes, for a healthy breakfast, but these include no flour, egg yolks, or sugars! Woop Woop! Top with some agave and whatever else you'd like and be on your way to starting your day in a positive way!

XO - and Good Morning :) 

Happy Birthday to Philip!

Hi everyone!

The topic of today's conversation is... my lovely man friends birthday! I get really excited about birthdays, especially Philip's and love to fill the day with fun and surprises! I thought I would take you guys along, for Philips 23rd birthday festivities!!! 

Start of the birthday, what better way to wake up on your birthday then to your house fully decorated?! 

Now wait, hold on, I have an explanation. Philip and I are OBSESSED and when I say that word, don't take it lightly, with the TV Show "The Office". Literally, we watch it on Netflix ALL THE TIME! When we finish it, we just restart it. It never gets old. Now, one of our favorite episodes takes place much like this picture, and I thought I'd share a clip to shed some light on where I got my inspiration from ;) 

I made Philip a "birthday box" full of random stuff, because he has been loving getting the monthly boxes and I thought it would be fun to make my own. Inside held numerous random things, including... 

Tickets to go Deep Sea Fishing at Hubbard's Marina!

And with that being said, we were off! 

AND, Phil got to rock his new fishing hat! 

It was such a beautiful morning, the boat departed right at sunrise and we had such an amazing time!! It doesn't hurt that we caught a bunch of fish!! The really cool thing about Hubbard's Marina is that all the fish you catch, you can keep, and bring to them to filet and prepare in the restaurant next door! 

The pelicans were going crazy over the scraps! 

I mean... we caught a ton of fish! 

It made for one delicious lunch. They pair this with fries, coleslaw, and hush puppies and it is such a steal of a price. 

Next, it was time to go home, shower, and get ready for the night. Philip's family and I had planned a little birthday dinner get together! So thankful for everyone that was able to come and help me keep it a surprise!!!

Love you guys! 

And I mean, come on, is this not the coolest cake ever for a fisherman?!

All in all, I hope he had an amazing birthday and that 23 will be one of the best of many years to come!

Now, after this completely packed day, we need some serious SLEEP!

XO 

Hello Fresh!

Hi everyone!

So, last month we started receiving a monthly box called "Love Your Food" in the mail, courtesy of Philip's mom, Lynda. In our first box, we got a $40 gift card to "Hello Fresh". 

If you have never checked it out, I have placed a link right.....

HERE! www.hellofresh.com

Basically, you get a box delivered to your house on your day of choice, weekly, for as long as you subscribe. The boxes range right now from vegetarian to meat eater and either for two or four people. The box comes with all of the ingredients you would need for three separate dinners for $70 (for two people). 

The recipes are supposed to be quick and easy and come with a step by step guide for preparation. 

So, I figured I would share our experience with Hello Fresh, in case you were curious in trying it! 

So, first off, quality of package is great! Our food was still perfectly refrigerated when it arrived and in perfect condition. (I have had some bad experiences before with other programs, where the food is old, moldy, just bad, so this was a positive change!)

Night One! 

Chicken Tostadas

I will say the only negative about this one was we had to use our own tortillas, as they came folded and were broken in half when we took them out.

All in all the meal was delicious and just the right amount of food to fill us both. 

Night Two!

BBQ Pork Sliders

This meal was pretty delicious! 

It came with sides to make sweet potato fries and coleslaw! 

Honestly, this was way too much food for me! This was absolutely delicious, and plenty of food for just two people, we honestly could have had a friend over for dinner as well. 

Night Three!

Shrimp Cakes (kinda)

Ok, where to even begin with this meal...

First of all, this meal was DELICIOUS!!! Probably our favorite of the three.

If you look though, at the picture, these were supposed to turn out like patties, like little shrimp burgers if you will. Needless to say, that did not happen! They CRUMBLED in the pan, flipping them, forget about it! So we had to figure out something to do, and luckily had some sourdough bread on hand and just cooked it and piled it onto the bread. I will say also, without the bread, this would not have been enough food haha. DELICIOUS MEAL, but extremely difficult. 

So, all in all... I would have to say, the food was delicious, the meals were healthy for the most part and it was a fun experience. These are some recipes and meals we probably would have never even thought to eat so I have to give it that. On the other hand, I feel like for the amount of ingredients we got, I could have gotten that and more at the grocery store for $70.   While this definitely won't be a weekly occurrence in our house, I think it is safe to say occasionally we would love a Hello Fresh box on our doorstep!

XO