- mint green...really? -

So, I'm not exactly sure in what era "mint green" in your house was cool, but it's so not cool now, in this era! I mentioned in my last post that I spend a good portion of Memorial Day repainting the stucco walls outside because they were a horrible mint green (btw, I didn't post pictures of the newly painted walls, because they are horribly boring...just plain off white...but SO much better than mint green!). Well, if you thought mint green stucco was bad, take a look at this beauty!

Taken with my iPhone in pretty bad lighting...please excuse the picture quality! :-)

Oh yes...that, my friends, is my mint green sink! Yup, in the bathroom that the hubs and I use! I think what makes it even worse is the dark green and maroon tiles around the sink. I mean, who thought that color combination would look good together? And please note the silver "soap holder cut out thingy" behind the sink is placed totally off center...I mean, come on...they couldn't even center it? (It's the little things that drive me crazy! lol).

The other bathroom in the house also has hideous tile all over the counter, and a painted enamel sink. That bathroom is done in a lovely shade of pink, which might be even more horrendous than our bathroom except that it happens to be Ellie's bathroom...and that is my saving grace. I can totally make a pink tiled bathroom decently cute for a little girl!

We are actually renting this house (saving up for the house of our dreams...we don't want to settle...lol!), so we won't be doing anything with these "gorgeous" bathrooms other than trying to decorate the best we can. We obviously don't want to do any home improvements to a rental...although, we will be there at least 2 years, so that's a pretty long time to put up with this crazy color scheme!

Any decorating ideas on how to make dark green, maroon and mint green look "hip and cool"? Suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

- amazing long weekend -

I absolutely love Memorial Day weekend, because to me, it is the kick off to summer! Even though it's always usually cloudy and slightly chilly in our neck of the woods every Memorial Day weekend, it still gets me excited for all of the fun times ahead! I am going to force the hubs to compile our summer bucket list today, so I can post it now, rather than in July, like last summer (fail last summer!!).

We had a pretty great weekend...first weekend in a month that we were able to just hang out and have fun, with no responsibilities hanging over our heads. We kicked off the weekend on Friday night with tacos, margaritas, and a dance party in our living room! (yes, that's how we roll these days on a Friday night!). Saturday consisted of some errands (boring), then an awesome dinner with some friends. Sunday was the best! We took Ellie on a train ride to a neighboring town and had lunch, and enjoyed the sun! She absolutely loved the train! Super inexpensive way to keep her happy! We definitely have to try that again this summer! And on Monday, I was determined to paint two stucco walls outside our house. They were painted a horrible mint green, and it was driving me crazy every time I drove up the driveway. Well, if you know me well enough, you know that I have no patience for things that are not absolutely perfect, so I decided to paint our stucco walls on the hottest day this weekend. Let me just say, I might have had heat stroke when I was done, but they got painted, and look pretty amazing (if I do say so myself!). Then our awesome friends brought dinner over, and we finally relaxed in our backyard, enjoying our new house. Not a bad weekend, at all!

Now it's back to the grind...but we're in luck! Matt and I both have only 3 days weeks...we're going away for a much needed, adults only weekend on Thursday night. I can not wait to spend two quiet and amazing days with my hubby!!

And because there's not such thing as a post without pictures, here you go! Some pictures of Ellie in our backyard...relaxing and enjoying the sun!

- quick recipe of the week -

Happy Memorial Day everyone! I hope everyone is having a fantastic long weekend! We have finally been able to have a relaxing, fun weekend after a month of going non stop! It's been wonderful!

Today, I would like to introduce you to one of the most gorgeous momma's ever! And what's even better...she's amazing and sweet too! Ashley, from Hudson's Happenings. Her little boy is so cute, and they make the cutest family of 3! Ashley is a happy housewife and stay-at-home mama to Hudson. She is hopelessly devoted to photography, seeking the inspiration in the unexpected, and unearthing the creativity in the everyday. She loves to go on little adventures with her family and photographing everywhere she goes. She also loves repurposing vintage items. Her blog is her own little happy corner of the internet, where she shares her journey as a girl who is savoring every little moment of this wonderful life. A girl after my own heart!! :-)

(Image credit Ashley)

Since Ashley's job is to take care of her precious little family, she loves creating delicious and easy meals that please her two guys. This quick and delicious Mexican dish is perfect for a weeknight, and although it is technically a meatless meal, the colorful veggies and black beans are as hearty as can be!

Rice and Bean Rollups
1 1/2 cups Thick 'n Chunky salsa
1 cup cooked brown rice
2 medium roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1 small bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 can (15 oz) black beans with cumin, undrained
1 can (7 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
6 flour tortillas, (8 inches in diameter)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (4 ounces)

Heat oven to 350°F. Spread 1/2 cup of the salsa in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches.
Mix rice, tomatoes, bell pepper, black beans and corn. Spread about 1 cup rice mixture on each tortilla; roll up tortilla. Place seam sides down on salsa in baking dish. Spoon remaining 1 cup salsa over tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

(Image credit Ashley)

Printable Recipe

Sounds so good Ashley! Thank you so much for sharing such a delicious recipe with us! Make sure you head over to Ashley's blog to say hello. You will simply adore her, just like I do...I promise!

- hump day -

A little video to get you through your Wednesday, aka, hump day..

- ugh, i hate drama -

Does anyone out there work in a drama free office?? And if so...can I come work there please?? Ugh, work drama is the worst! I work for a very small company, and let's just say there is a LOT of daily drama that goes on. It makes my work days very, very long!

And if I'm being honest here, I kind of have a lot of drama filled friends in my personal life as well...I'm not going to lie and tell you that I never create any drama...I mean, I am a girl after all, and as much as we don't want to admit it, there is a certain amount of drama that just always comes along with being a girl and associating with other girls. But I do try to keep it to a minimum. Some people in my work life and my personal life though...woahhhh, high maintenance drama queens that are so easily offended and super self centered. It can get so tiring to deal with. And I feel like I end up stooping to their level, which I absolutely hate doing! I'm taking a pledge starting today to make it a point to surround myself with drama free, happy, positive people....

...and with that, I'm now done ranting about drama!

- quick recipe of the week -

Hey folks, and happy Monday to you all! Today I am featuring a recipe that I found on none other than the beloved Pinterest. I haven't even tried it out myself yet, so we can all try it out together this week and report back if it was good or not! :-)

Linguine with Garlicky Bread Crumbs
pinned from "famfriendsfood", original recipe by Cooking Light

1 cup bread crumbs
2 TB olive oil, divided
6 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces uncooked linguine
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Return pan to heat. Stir in breadcrumbs, and cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Cook pasta according to package directions,drain. Place pasta in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper; toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

(Image credit famfriendsfood)

Printable Recipe

It looks good, and it's much healthier than using a heavy cream sauce. A nice and light pasta recipe for this warmer weather! Enjoy! I'll let you know how my version turns out this week!

p.s- If you would like to be featured on an upcoming "quick recipe of the week" post, please contact me! I always love featuring new recipes, and new blogs!

- a way to help out the william's syndrome association -

Hey guys...you all remember my friend Ashley and her adorable little boy Cooper, who was recently diagnosed with Williams Syndrome don't you? Well she asked me to reach out to my readers with this awesome opportunity to help out the Williams Syndrome Association!

Right now, this sweet Etsy shop owner, Courtney, from Paper & Lace is graciously offering to donate 20% of her profits to the Williams Syndrome Association in Cooper's name, as long as the code "Cooper WSA" is included in the "message to seller" section at check out. Her shop is super cute and her handmade cards are to die for! So so adorable!!

(Image credit Courtney)

(Image credit Courtney)

(Image credit Courtney)

Cute huh? Check out Courtney's shop and don't forget to add Cooper's special code,"Cooper WSA" during check out!