If anyone knows me they know that I have a huge weakness for buying as many pairs of sunglasses as I can get my hands on.
I'm not into paying high end prices for my glasses, however. I cringe at spending more than $10 honestly. With two little ones running around I just can't bring myself to pay any more than that on the off chance that they get their tiny little hands on them.
I've been lucky so far and haven't had any accidents, even with my $10 sunglasses!

I was fortunate enough to receive a free month of Ditto's Endless Eyewear program a little while back and today I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the process and product.


Bottom line, they are a great company with incredible customer service and response time.

I never felt like I was being pushed off or just given an answer to get me to go away. They were caring and wanted to make sure my experience was a great as it could be!

Being that I don't ever spend any real amount of money on my sunglasses I was a bit intimidated to choose a pair that was worth a lot of money, however I figured go big or go home, right?!

I chose a Prada pair which you can see HERE.


With a retail value of $385 I was giddy and nervous when they arrived.
Needless to say I immediately fell in love with these sunglasses. I did, however, make sure to wear them carefully when the kiddos wouldn't be going crazy all around, just to be safe!

I got to try out a few more pairs at the Go Blog Social conference and let's just say, I want them all, all the time!

After I placed my order the sunglasses arrived within a few days, even faster than I could have ever expected. Then when I was ready to send them back I was able to use a prepaid packing label that came with the glasses. All around such a simple process.

For $25 a month you can change out sunglasses whenever you want. Making it simple and convenient to wear designer brands for a fraction of the cost!

I look forward to taking part in this program here in the future for sure, once the kids are a bit older and I won't be as afraid of little hands getting a hold of these gorgeous sunglasses!

So go on and check out the website! You won't regret it!

I hope everyone had a really great 4th of July weekend, I know we sure did!

I also hope that you all had a chance to check out my post on Saturday, what to wear for the 4th of July and also my post yesterday with Sworkit, a little Star Spangled Stretch!

We are fortunate enough to have some really great and close friends that we love spending as much time together as we can. As we have been getting older, having babies and all that fun stuff, our times together have become a little more few and far between.

Every 4th of July we have made it a point to get together and have our annual Shrimp BBQ feast, in which we have titled it Shrimp-a-Palooza. It may sound silly and a little crazy but it is definitely one thing I look forward to every year. The past few years we have been able to host it at our home and I have to say, it has become something that I can't wait for every year! I love hosting get togethers of all kinds, but for me, this one is near and dear to my heart. I am already thinking about next year!!!

We kicked off our weekend going to the St. Louis Cardinals baseball game.

The weather was icky, rainy and cold but we sucked it up and made it through!

We did attempt a group shot but it didn't work out so great, we're working on group selfies!

Then came Monday and the real festivities began.

Oliver for the win in best photo bomb!

The guys!

My three favorite humans!

We, along with the rest of our neighborhood, ended our night with fireworks!!

All in all this weekend was a huge success and I couldn't be happier or feel luckier!

Until next year Shrimp-a-Palooza, until next year!

What did you all do over your long holiday weekend?!

Cheers!

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So if you're anything like me you have a ton of old wine corks stuffed away in a drawer somewhere just collecting dust.

I had been collecting for a few years now and have never really had anything to do with them, however I refused to throw them away.

I finally decided to drag them out and actually do something with them.

I had seen these letters that were made using wine corks all over Pinterest and beyond. I had never really paid much attention to how they were made, but it couldn't be too hard, right?!

Right!

I grabbed my glue gun, my wine corks and a small "L" I had leftover from another project that just didn't pan out.

Now I am going to share it with you in hopes of inspiring you to make one of these yourself or for someone you know!

What You'll Need:

1. Wine corks, quite a few!!

2. Letter of choice. I had an "L" I had purchased from Michaels for a couple of bucks.

3. Hot glue gun.

What You'll Do:

Step 1: Gather supplies.

Step 2: Put the hot glue on the back of your wine corks and start placing them on the letter.

Step 3: Show off and display!

And voila!!

Seriously, this is SUCH a simple and fast craft. I couldn't be happier with the results and it fits the aesthetics of our kitchen just perfectly!

What are your go-to crafts or things to do with your left over wine corks?!

If you give this a try please let me know, tag me on any social media or shoot me an email with your final project! I'd love to see them all!

Cheers!

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What goes better with a hot day by the pool (or beach depending on where you're at) than a nice cold and crisp adult beverage?!

Not too much if you ask me.

The only problem with this is that my body is very susceptible to bloating, which is why on a daily basis I make sure to watch intake of sugars, carbs and other ingredients that will puff me up like a balloon.

With that said there are a few drinks that I would recommend choosing to not only feel your best but to also join in on the merriment that is Summer.

#1 : Gin and Sparkling Water (Or Vodka, depending on what you like)

Instead of Tonic, Sparkling water contains no added sugars, therefore cutting out any unnecessary added ingredients that may increase bloating and water weight. 

#2 : Tequila on the Rocks

This is pretty straight forward, the less amount of ingredients the better for you. When drinking any alcohol this way you'll tend to drink it slower, therefore drinking less as well. Also, tequila contains no carbs, which is great for me because I have been doing my best to stay away from carbs as much as possible.

#3 : Champagne

On average your 4 oz. glass only contains 80 calories! The carbonation that is in champagne also tends to make anyone drinking it drink it slower, therefore not consuming as much. And let's be real here, it also makes you feel a little fancy, or is it just me?!

These three tried and true drinks are the perfect combo for a day at the pool or heck, even for a night out that won't leave you feeling completely blah later that evening!

Just for comparison, most people jump straight to the Pina Coladas, Pre Made Margarita Mixes and Beer. Let's break these down a bit shall we?!

Pina Coladas - On average this drink contains upwards of 650 Calories. Let's put this into perspective, a Big Mac is only 576 Calories and we all know deep down that a Big Mac is a horrible food choice health wise, so why go with a drink that is even worse?! Plus all the cream and sugar, I can't even handle that. (Source of Info HERE)

Pre - Made Margarita Mixes - Contain nothing but added sugars and all other sorts of additives that just aren't conducive with attempting to look and feel your best in a swim suit.

Beer - Need I really say more about beer other than it is nothing more than liquid carbs?! Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE beer lover, in the right scenario. I will choose a dark beer over almost anything when out with friends at night or at dinner with my husband. However I would NEVER choose a dark beer or even a light beer to sit by the pool with.

What are your poolside beverages of choice?!

Happy Friday, everyone!!!

Cheers!

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1. Favorite childhood book

When I was a small child, whatever my parent's would read to me, I would love. There would be MANY nights one of them would sit & read a Disney book to my sister & I before we went to bed. It never mattered what book, I loved them all.

As a young adult...

A Rose for Melinda by Lurlene McDaniel was the book I absolutely adored.

I read it multiple times & the back cover and last few pages fell off due to overuse & I have it still all taped together.

I would want to be the character Murphy from the book in question #2 {Ghost Story} because she is extremely fierce, loyal, strong, powerful but still has the compassion needed to care for others. She takes no crap from anyone & is extremely respected by the people around her. I just absolutely love her character in the entire series.

 

3. If you won the lottery, tell us would take the lump sum or take the money overtime, would you continue working or quit right away, would you reveal who you are, and what are some of the first things you would spend with your money?

I would figure out how I would receive the most money. I would probably continue to work {go down to part time of course} for a little bit at least. I would spend much more time finishing up & promoting my book, with that amount of money I would be able to market it the correct way & go all out. I would want to keep my identity private for sure, my family & close friends would know but that would be about it. I would move Andrew & I into my dream home {look below lol}. Then I would want to buy my parents & my husband's mom new homes {if they would accept it of course}. I would also set up a plan where I would donate a certain amount of money each month to some of my favorite charities. Other than that I would definitely live comfortably {& help out my family & friends anyway that I could} but saving would be key!

4. If you could live anywhere, show us where it would be and tell us why.

I have a horrible fear of sitting in a room, any room, in pitch dark. The lights MUST be on. Andrew on the other hand, loves to just sit and watch TV in the dark, the whole house, dark... Drives me insane. Does that make me crazy?

I can't sleep without the fan on. I just can't. Oh, and while we are on this topic, the bedroom door has to be closed, the closet doors have to be closed otherwise this girl just won't sleep. Which is weird because growing up, I couldn't sleep if the door was closed, it had to be open... Crazy how things change, huh? Does that make me crazy?

I can't stand it when people fold a piece of paper but don't completely fold the edges. There has to be a perfect crease in any piece of paper that I fold {& if I see other people who don't do that, I just can't even handle it...} Does that make me crazy?

That I absolutely hate it when Andrew does the laundry lol. I love him dearly but it just drives me nuts, I have a system and when that system is disturbed it messes up the next few loads. Sure, I wait until the laundry ABSOLUTELY needs to be done most of the time before I get to doing it but it always is done, and it's done the right way... Sorry dear, just saying. Does that make me crazy?

On the said laundry topic, my entire life is a cluttered & jumbled up mess, I'll be the first person to admit that. I consider it an organized mess. Anyway, my sock and underwear drawer has to be perfectly organized, socks must be matched and folded correctly and all my underwear has to be folded and stacked in the same direction. Does that make me crazy?

I love CD's, yes I have an iPod that I use every now & then but when I'm driving, I love using my old school six CD changer & fill that baby up & listen to old mixed CD's I made when I was twelve. You should hear some of these... Ridic. I was told recently that they're going to stop making CD's & I got upset. Yes, I realize I can put all my CD's on my iPod & listen to them all but it's not the same, I can tell you, from listening to a song, what song is going to come next. It will break my heart when I can't buy them anymore. Sometimes technology just needs to stop Does that make me crazy?

Last, but not least, I want a LARGE family. I've always wanted a bunch of kids, like eight... I've since realized that's a bit intense so I've changed to only wanting five {pause for your gasp}. I realize that this most likely won't happen but it's just what I've always wanted. Of course I will be thrilled and happy with whatever happens and whatever life has in store but it's just a want of mine. Does that make me crazy? {Maybe this one you guys don't have to answer haha}