A World Market Tip and Milani Blush

I was looking at the buffet and hutch in my kitchen the other day and realized how it almost looks as if it was custom built just for this corner of my kitchen. Love that! It was purchased at World Market and I still love it as much as I did the day I bought it.

That got me thinking that I've never shared a little World Market tip with you. Did y'all know they have a thing called "product alerts?" If you see an item you like online, you can click on the "get price alerts" button (it's usually right next to the "add to cart" button) and enter your email address and they'll email you when the item goes on sale. That's it! So simple! Most items have this feature and it's so nice to let them keep track of it for you. 

I used this trick this Christmas when I spotted a cute set of dish towels for $20. I didn't want to pay that much, so I put a product alert on it. Sure enough, they emailed me every time it went on sale. Those dish towels went all the way down to $5 by the end of the season and I never would have known that if I hadn't activated the product alert because it wasn't ever advertised publicly. 

Speaking of products, I found a new blush I really like. It's Milani brand Baked Blush in "Dolce Pink" color.

Milani Baked Blush ~ Walmart

I heard about it from a friend on Instagram. She said it's similar to NARS blush and the best part is that it's only $6.97 at Walmart! I tried it and love it! It has a bit of a sparkle to it, but in my opinion, it's just right. You have to really look to detect any sparkles, but they still leave a nice touch. 

Here's another (unedited) pic of it in natural light...

Okay, that's all I've got for today. Y'all have a nice week!

~Lisa 

This and That

I hope y'all don't get tired of my Target Dollar Spot posts. :) Just look at this little tray I picked up there for $3...

I love the cut outs in the bottom and the wrapped handles on the sides...

It's the perfect size too at about 11x8 inches. I'm currently trying to decide where to put it and what to fill it with.

Some of you may remember the feline brother and sister "twins" my mom recently adopted. 

Cecil...

And Trixie...

 We visited my mom last week and I snapped a couple of pics of them. Look how grown up they are now.

King Cecil...

And Queen Trixie...

They're so cute and really into the mischief stage. :) Their newest trick is grabbing the spare toilet paper rolls in their mouths and running through the house with them. And I'm talking about a full TP roll here, people. They somehow manage to grab the full roll in their mouths and run through the house with little bits trailing behind them! Lol! They've also recently discovered how to jump on top of the fridge and as of yesterday morning...the mantel. Needless to say, they keep my mom on her toes. :)

Okay, do y'all watch Dinner at Tiffani's on the Cooking Channel? It stars Tiffani Thiessen and is such a cute cooking show. Her family is adorable and her kitchen is amazing. Anyway, new episodes are airing now and on a recent one, she talked about how she cooks bacon in the oven. She just puts strips of bacon on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and pops it in the oven.

I've heard of doing this before, but never tried it until now. In the episode, she was cooking 10 strips and she baked them at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes. I only baked 6 strips, so mine were ready right at 25 minutes. I'm guessing the fewer strips, the shorter bake time. 

Look how good they turned out...

Yum! It was so easy. You just place them in the oven and let them cook. No flipping required. And the best part is that with the parchment paper, there's virtually no cleanup. 

On another food related topic, my sweet blogging friend Vel from Life and Home at 2102 told me about these little goodies...

Oh my goodness, y'all! These are amazingly good! They're Slim Fast Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew bars and they taste just like a chocolate covered cherry! They also have 10 grams of protein, so they keep you full for a long time. These are so good to keep in your purse or just to have on hand when hunger strikes. 

Vel also just did a major master closet makeover that you simply must see. Click HERE to see it. And while we're on the topic of closet organization, you have to click HERE to see another amazing closet makeover by my friend Carol. Can you tell I've had organization on my mind lately? :) These two ladies are the queens of organization! 

And since I showed pics of the twins, I can't end this post without a pic of my own little princess, Holly Joaquin...

And here's her new favorite toy...

Yep, it's a pull tab from a package of ham! So far, her favorite toys have been this pull tab, a plastic straw, and a piece of pink curling ribbon. She's resourceful, for sure. :)

Y'all have a great day!

~Lisa

The Beauty Blender Sponge and Musings

So, I mentioned I got a delivery from Sephora the other day and here's what I got...

It's the Beauty Blender sponge. Have you heard about it? You use it to apply liquid foundation and I was pretty impressed with it. 

You soak it in water (which makes it expand) then squeeze out the excess water, squeeze it one more time with a paper towel to remove a little more water, (you definitely want it damp, so don't dry it completely) then dot your foundation on your face and use this to blend it. Use the bottom (wide) end to kind of "bounce" the foundation all over. It's like you're tapping it all over your face. Does that make sense? :) 

It did a really good job of blending in my foundation (I use L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte.) There are lots of YouTube videos out there with tips on how to use this. It really is all it's cracked up to be, so I had to share. :) 

And as a bonus, Sephora always lets you choose three free samples with your order, so I chose three cologne samples to add to the Valentine gifts for my boys. :) Here's a couple of them:

They smell SO good too! 

So, switching gears here. I saw this on Instagram the other day. @theothersideofneutral posted it and I had to laugh...

So true, right? :) 

But having said that, I did manage to make some homemade bread the other day. My son texted me from school and requested I make it, so how could I not? Nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread when you walk in the door. 

Speaking of carbs, I made these biscuits the other day too...

They were truly the best, fluffiest, most delicious biscuits I've ever made. So yummy and everyone loved them. 

I got the recipe from my sweet friend Stacey at Poofing the Pillows

Click on her blog link above for the recipe. It only has three ingredients, so it's quick and easy. 

I posted this pic of my bedroom on IG  and thought I'd share it here too. I added the little floral arrangement on the bedside table. 

Here's a closer look. I've had this for years and years and it's been this close to being in the trash several times. Now I'm glad I saved it. 

So, that's all for now. Hope y'all have a great day!

~Lisa

Lisa's Day of Fun!

Do you ever feel like you need a day to yourself? Like, a day for shopping and perhaps a little pampering too? I certainly do. I had some Christmas money that was burning a hole in my pocket, so I planned a whole day and coined it "Lisa's Day of Fun." Remember "Joey and Janice's day of fun" from Friends? Lol! 

Y'all, I had the best day! I couldn't wait to get to Ross. You see, back in December, I saw some Michael Kors bags there. A man had about five of them in his cart and I assumed he was buying one for every female on his Christmas list. I also thought to myself that they must be a great price for him to be purchasing so many, but I was in a hurry and never even looked at them. Mistake. I've thought about that purse every single day since then. :) 

So, my main goal on Lisa's day of fun was to track down that purse and I hoped it was still reasonably priced. So off I went to Ross and lo and behold...I walked about five feet into the store and right in front of me was a display that said "designer handbags" and front and center was this...

Squeal!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes! Then I slowly turned over the price tag and it said...$69.99! What?! It regularly sells for $200, Ross had it originally for $99, and now it was reduced to only $69. Yes, please. :) 

I really like it too. It has lots of room for all my things and I love the red handles. 

Okay, so up next I was looking for some cute $5 tassle necklaces I saw on the Whoa Wait Walmart blog. Remember when I told y'all about that blog and IG page? It's how I found out about the necklaces. I walked into the store and again, just like it was meant to be, there they were, with plenty to choose from. 

I went with this one...

So cute and such a good price.

Then I stopped at a few more places...Joann's to get supplies to make my Valentine's Day Banner, Dollar Tree for some circus peanuts (yes, I HAD to have them - lol!) then to Starbucks to pick up a Valentine's day gift card. When my boys were little, I would fill their Valentine baskets with all kinds of treats, fun toys, etc. but now all they want are gift cards, cash, and candy, so that's what they get. I've gotten them these Russell Stover strawberry cream hearts every year since they were born, and will continue to do so. :) 

I did a little clothes shopping too and managed to find five outfits that I liked (and desperately needed) I love when I find multiple things in one trip like that! 

Then I got my haircut, which is always a nice experience. I got three inches cut off and my hair still comes to my shoulders. It was l-o-n-g. 

I think I ran a few more errands, then I came home to find this on the porch...

I love happy mail days! I'll share what was in the box soon. 

And to top things off, my son texted me to ask if we could get pizza for dinner. It just so happened that Papa Johns was offering half price pizza all day long because J.J. Watt won the 2015 NFL defensive player of the year award. And bonus, my son picked up the pizza for us, so I didn't have to go out again, AND I didn't have to cook dinner. Win-win! 

Pizza nights are my favorite. :) So, that was my day of fun in a nutshell. I think we all deserve to have days like this every now and then, don't you?

~Lisa

Valentine's Day Decor 2016

I'm Finally getting around to sharing my Valentine's Day decor. Loving this cute heart pillow from the dollar spot at Target. 

Technically this frame is up year round, but since it has hearts, I'm including it. :) These are my boys about 15 years ago... 

I kept things pretty neutral in the living room. 

I made this new banner for a whopping $1.50. I bought one piece of floral scrap paper at Joann's and one pack of heart shaped paper doilies at Dollar Tree. I cut heart shapes out of the scrap paper and alternated them with the doilies on some twine and secured them with mini clothespins. 

Just a few Valentine touches on the rolling cart...

I promise that's not dust on the dough bowl. :) The sun was shining in at a weird angle, plus this pic is from my phone, so there's that. Not that there isn't dust in other areas of my home, just not on this dough bowl. Ha! 

I love vintage looking Valentines. 

The hutch in the breakfast room always gets a little love...

I even changed the wall paper on my Keurig to red in honor of Valentine's day. Lol! 

Finally putting my stash of paper straws to good use. Love the ones with tiny hearts! 

Another vintage Valentine in the kitchen with a pink Circle E candle. 

I had to add hearts to the welcome sign... 

And a little cheer to the door...

That's it! Hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day!

~Lisa 

Joining the Thoughts Of Home Party at Poofing the Pillows