leopard + stripes

I am not at all fashionable. I'm a plain jane. When shopping, I'm that person who buys what the mannequin is wearing (down to the accessories). I am not good at mixing & matching. I buy "classic" pieces. In other words, I'm very boring when it comes to fashion. Then, I discovered Pinterest, and started pinning outfits to my style board, and I actually wanted to wear outfits that were "out of the box" (well, for me anyway).
I had pinned a few outfits pairing a striped top with a leopard scarf:

source: Pinterest

source: Pinterest

source: Pinterest

.....so for a wedding shower that I attended last week, I decided to pull out a few items that I had purchased recently. I just happened to have a leopard print scarf in my closet (my $3 deal from amazon). And, I had read that everyone needed a striped top in their wardrobe, so while shopping a few months ago, I found the perfect navy/white boatneck at JCPenney's ($16).


I wore this with jeans and a dark denim jacket. I had the perfect shoes....

LOVE!!! (a gift from Mom & Dad for Christmas)

they also gave me this necklace from etsy that I love!!

The outfit turned out great and I am anxious to wear more outfits from my Pinterest closet!

My real closet was a mess, and has gotten a major cleaning out and organizing this week.

Space 15 of 30: Our Bedroom Closet
I packed away some of my heavier winter clothing, pulled out a few things to donate, and better organized the space. I added two more bins to the shelves, which I really like. I may pick up a few more, so that everything matches. They were cheap (under $7 @ Lowes) and come in lots of colors.

I also added two more binder rings for hanging my scarves like I did my purses.


Space 16 of 30: Peter's Dresser
This was easy as I keep it pretty neat. Just pulled a few things, and straightened it up a bit.

A Very Merry Disney Senior Trip Comes to an End

I always hate this part of the trip......leaving all the magic of Disney and heading back home. I'm always thankful though for safe travels, the fun and laughter we have, the time we spend together, and the memories that are made. This trip, in particular, will always be very special to me, and I am so grateful that I had the oppertunity to be a part of it. The grads could not have been better, and it was a treat for us Moms to be able to take them and enjoy this time with them. Everyone got along so well, and we all have grown even closer this last year as we have prepared for this trip. I'm also thankful that we live in a community that supports our kids, and wants them to have the oppertunity to do things like taking a Senior Trip to Disney.
The last day was pretty uneventful. I had arranged for bell sevices to pick us up to meet the Magical Express bus that would take us to the airport. Everyone was ready when he showed up, but nobody really wanted to leave. :O(













Our bus soon pulled in, and we were all loaded on for our quick ride to the airport.

We had an early lunch, killed a little time browsing the gift shops, and soon it was time to board. The flight was uneventful (well, except for the lady who got sick before the plane ever took off!!!)....and soon we were home.
There was only a week until Christmas, and we had so much to do in only a few days, but spending those 5 days in Disney were worth it! It was a trip to remember for sure!!


Class of 2013: Scott, Mariah, Brandon, Marissa, & Nathan

A Very Merry Disney Senior Trip: Last Night

The guys ended up skipping Osbourne Lights in hopes of riding Rock-n-Roller Coaster one more time before leaving Hollywood Studios. The rest of us made our way over to Streets of America to see what all the hype was about. There was a mass of people, more people in one place than I've seen in a long time, but we pushed our way through, literally, as I was pushing Charlene in her wheel chair. I don't think I ever got the hang of pushing that thing, because once the rest of our group caught up to me, they told me I had run over a little boys foot with it and I had just kept on going, like a woman on a mission. LOLOL Sorry little guy....hope you are ok! Anyhow, once we got there we saw exactly what everyone had been talking about....
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!
The Osbourne Spectacle of Dancing Lights were breathtaking! These pictures in no way do them justice:

I was happy to see the Nativity included

this picture will give you an idea of the amount of people there

It took us much longer than I had planned to make our way to the front of the park due to the crowd, but once we got there, the grads were waiting. I don't think they really wanted to leave, but we all got on the bus and headed out to Fort Wilderness for our 8:30 dinner reservation for HOOP DEE DOO REVUE dinner show.
The grads were a little disappointed about leaving DHS, but were now anxious to get going with the show, plus everyone was starving (and really tired of picture taking!!), and they started to get a little restless.

Finally, they rang the dinner bell (yep, they did actually ring a big ole' dinner bell) and our group was called in and seated. I had chosen Category 3 seating, because to me, it's a better spot than Cat 1 or 2. It's in the balcony and we lucked out and got the exact same seats my family sat in when we saw the show in 2010. Directly over the stage!! :O)





The show is entertaining to say the least, and we all laughed at the corny jokes. The cast interacts with the audience all throughout the show, and this guy, Six Bits (the funniest cast member by far!) chose our table to have some fun with.

The cast started singing "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain", stopping at various tables asking where we were from, and adding a new verse to the song using their state. Six Bits came up to our table and asked where we were from. We told him Virginia, and then I told him that they were on their Senior Trip. The spotlight came up on the grads and everyone cheered for them, then the cast continued with their singing, adding Virginia to their song. :O)
Everyone enjoyed the all-you-can-eat meal of bbq ribs, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, baked beans, corn bread, and sweet tea in Mason jars, followed by strawberry shortcake for dessert. The last thing they do is hand out wash boards to play. I'll let the pictures talk.....



What an awesome ending to an awesome trip!!!!
After the show, we decided to take the boat over to Magic Kingdom, then take the bus back to Caribbean Beach catching one last look at the castle!

Pie of the Month: Candy Pudding Pie

While organizing my recipes, I came across this cookbook that I recently bought from the school.

I noticed this pie recipe that I knew Nathan would love, so I gave it a try....



I didn't have an Oreo crust, so I made my own...

2-1/2 cups Oreos crumbs (crush in food processor) and 1/3 cup melted butter
Mix together in pie plate and press into pan...

Next, beat the pudding (I used vanilla) and milk with a whisk, then stir in half the Cool Whip, then candy ( I used Heath Chips since I had them on hand). Spoon into crust...

Next, spread with remaining Cool Whip and top with candy chips. Chill.....

Drizzle with chocolate syrap when serving. D-E-L-I-S-H!!!

30 Spaces/ 30 Days: Recipes

Space 14 0f 30:
I finally have all my recipes in one spot. I keep my recipe books, recipe binder, and recipe cards in this pretty yellow basket on top of my fridge.



I started this binder for all those recipes I rip out of magazines, and now, all those recipes I copy from Pinterest.

I divided it into categories....

I especially love recipes with pictures....

I'm not using my recipe card basket anymore, for now, I'm keeping the cards in the basket with the rest of my books. I may transfer them to their own binder someday, but for now the rubber band works!

While I love cook books, I refrain from buying too many, since I can find most any recipe online, and it just means finding more space to store. I wouldn't mind adding a Pioneer Woman cookbook to my collection though! One of my favorite cookbooks is this one....

It's a 1966 copy that my Mom has had since I was born. I can't tell you how many times I looked through this cookbook as a little girl. Mom finally passed it down to me a few years ago. It's falling apart, but it is a treasure of mine. Another cookbook that has stuck around through the years is my Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook from my Home EC years....

I still use this often!