happy wife, happy life

bracelets: Alex and Ani || nail file: Similar || nail polish: Ulta

For the bridal shower we threw in May, I decided to gift the bride-to-be with a less traditional gift which is shown above.  Now, I know that shopping from the registry is always appreciated, however you still have the actual wedding to give the happy couple an item off their registry so I feel that it's okay to "shower" the bride with a more personalized gift at the bridal shower.  

I do have to give credit where credit is due, and that would be to my friend who got me a set of these Alex and Ani bracelets for my bridal shower.  I thought it was such a neat idea that once Holly got engaged I knew I wanted to get her some of these gorgeous bangles.  The "B" initial is for her new last name once she has tied the knot and the stone is the birthstone for September, the month of the wedding.  I purchased these ones from the Shoe Closet Boutique , a local boutique in Wichita Falls.  I paired them up with a pretty nail file & an Essie nail polish which is appropriately named "happy wife happy life", both items I got from Ulta.  

This DIY gift is a perfect reminder to the bride to take a little time out of her busy wedding planning life and just relax a little while giving herself a fresh mani or pedi (or both!) before getting back into the stressful business that involves planning a wedding, aka; the start to happily ever after.  

I hope this helps you in your quest to find the perfect gift for that bride-to-be! 

~Amy

Shopping for Men

Basket: Home Goods  || Apron: Home Goods || Beer: Trader Joe's || T-Shirt: Similar || Beard Wash: Lush

My husbands birthday was this past weekend, and like most women, I have a hard time figuring out what to buy for him.  Why are men so hard to shop for?!  After contemplating for a while what I was going to get him I came up with the idea above, it basically all stemmed from the awesome drink basket, which I found at Home Goods.  I'll break it down so you can see what all is in the "basket".  Above you will find links to all of the gifts, keep in mind that most of them are available at many different stores as well. 

(1)  We bought a Traeger grill last year and it's basically our favorite way to cook now.  We tried making stuffed jalapeños one time but just didn't quite get the technique down, so when I saw this set I knew I had to get it for him.  And I figured an outdoor apron would be perfect to pair it with.  I got both of these items at Home Goods but I'm sure you could find them just about anywhere.

Side note: I actually gave him the jalapeño set the night before his birthday because we were making jalapeño popcorn using fresh jalapeños, the set comes with a tool to clean out the peppers so I figured we might as well use that rather than the knife, spoon, jalapeño juice in our (okay, my) eye fiasco that we usually go through.  Oh and if you didn't already know, our entire family is obsessed with homemade popcorn.  Every Friday night for as long as we can remember our family would pick out a movie to watch and make a bunch of stovetop popcorn.  It's our favorite tradition that we take very seriously & all three of us sisters make sure it is carried on by each of our families.

(2) He's beer obsessed.  But not any type of beer, it has to be the dark strong flavored stuff.  I personally can't handle it, a Corona with a lime slice is my ideal beer.  I picked up these two at Tarder Joe's and honestly, I just picked these two cause I thought they looked fancy, haha! 

(3) I found this shirt at Target when I was out shopping with my mom and sisters while they were visiting.  At the time they didn't have it in his size but I went back a couple weeks later and was so excited to find it!  I probably looked insane talking about how awesome it was to my 12month old who was just looking at me like I was showing her a brick wall.  

(4) I'm a huge fan of Lush products!  For Christmas last year I got him two soaps from there and he loved one of them, he didn't care for the sent of the other but that didn't bother me since it just meant I could put it in the guest bathroom as a hand soap instead. I made sure to use that sink for hand washing ever since I put it in there.  We don't have a Lush close to us but I made the half hour trip to the mall the other day for some shopping & an excuse to stay out of the heat.  When I saw this wash I knew it would be prefect since he just started growing his beard out again.  Last night he said to me (pointing to the jar of facial wash) "did you smell this?"  I figured that meant he didn't like the sent, again...  I replied, "Umm, yeah I did.  Why?"  He said "cause it smells amazing!"  Insert sigh of relief(!) 

And that's it!  I wrapped one of the bottles in tissue paper and then realized I didn't have any more so I may or may not have used napkins for the rest of the fillers... Whatever works, right?! 

I hope this helps give you some ideas for the men in your life!  Doing something like this basket is a great Father's Day gift as well, which is right (yikes!) around the corner.  My main tip for buying gifts for guys is just to get simple stuff, they don't want random little nicknacks that they will probably never use.  And I'm speaking from experience, haha.  I have found that food, some type of drink & products like that facial wash are good because they will actually get used, rather than just set somewhere and forgotten about.    

Oh and if all else fails... 

 throw something Star Wars related in there and it's a guaranteed winner.

~Amy 

Bridal Shower!

In May, Mary & Amy threw a bridal shower for soon to be married sister, Holly.  Since weather in Texas has been pretty crazy lately we were so thankful that it was sunny and clear for the whole party!  We had a fantastic time throwing this party & the bride loved every minute of it.  We hope you all enjoy seeing some pictures of this special day where we celebrated such a wonderful lady as she prepares to marry a great guy!  Thank you so much to everyone who came & partied with us! 

P.S.

We want to extend a HUGE thank you to our other sisters who were such big helpers with food preperation, helping decorate, gift wrapping, etc.  You girls rock!!

~ We had decided early on that our theme for the party would be shabby chic with touches of gold & glitter. We did a lot of DIY projects (which we will be posting tutorials for!) and we were thrilled with the results!  

The wedding date. September 5th, 2015

We decorated a scrap book for each guest to write a special note to the bride.  A photo spot was on each page as well so she can put photos from the party inside next to the notes.  The tabs are places for the bridal party, mother of the bride, mother of the groom, etc. 

We made all of the favors, which were scented tea lights wrapped with some cute Washi tape. 

The food table, yum!  We hung some streamers, ribbon & cord behind the table at uneven lengths to decorate the food space.  We also hung some pictures from the couple's engagement session.  We threw the party at Mary's house and it just so happened that she had this gorgeous picture of the Colorado mountains above her table.  The bride and groom are getting married in Colorado. so it was perfect for right above the pictures!  

We served lots of finger foods including delicious & adorable cupcakes made by our sister, Emily.  Also, how adorable are those cupcake stands?  We found these ones at Target! 

Above the drink table we hung pictures of the happy couple.  The ones in the middle are from their engagement session and the ones on the side are random shots which we hung using strips of burlap.  We printed some from the bride's Instagram as well.  Leaving the captions on with the pictures helped to add a cute & different look from the rest of the pictures.  

The lovely bride-to-be with party planner, Mary! 

The drink station.  

We used Modge Podge to add gold glitter to the bottoms of the glasses - aren't they adorable?! 

A delicious bowl of sangria; we will be posting the recipe soon!  

Mary had the clever idea to decorate the water bottles as well, some with ribbon & lace and the rest with chalkboard tags & hearts!  

Party planner, Amy, with the lovely guest of honor.

We found these adorable pink vases in the $1.00-$3.00 section at target and decided they would be perfect as center & accent pieces.  Baby's breath & pink spray roses made the perfect bouquet!  

The hostesses & party planners! 

**note from the future bride: I can't believe how much sweet effort these two put into my bridal shower.  They did so well with the whole theme -- and they didn't even have to ask me what I like!  I felt so loved by my awesome family, wonderful future in-laws, friends, and most especially my fellow blogger sisters.  They made me truly feel blessed with the hard work they put into this lovely bridal shower

xoxo

DIY Braided Beach Wave Ponytail

Happy weekend everyone!  Today I'm going to show you how to do one of my new favorite go-to hairstyles.  It's cute, quick & most importantly, easy! 

Tools needed:

-hair brush

-curling iron 

-hairspray 

-hair band 

-smoothing cream (optional)

Step 1: finish morning coffee(!) 

Step 2: brush hair till smooth, I like to use this smoothing cream for this step.  

Step 3: using a comb or finger, trace a line from the middle of your eyebrow (either side) up to your hair to create a part on the side of your head:

Step 4: (this step is optional, you can just pull your hair into a ponytail and start curling if you want to skip the braid) braid hair into Dutch braid (or any preferred braid!)  starting from the part line at the top of your forehead down to the back of your neck.  Tie off braid and the rest of your hair into a low ponytail, "fatten" the braid by slightly pulling on the sides of it starting at the bottom and working your way up.

Step 5: with a hot curling iron take a section of hair about 2in. thick and wrap it around the iron.  I usually wrap under but it will work either way.  Hold for a few seconds and then release.  The trick here is to work with bigger sections of hair to achieve lose waves, if you want tighter or more curly hair just take smaller sections from the ponytail. Continue curling till you get through the whole ponytail.  

Step 6: spray hair with hairspray.  That's it!  I usually go back and re-pull my hair into the ponytail again after curling because I tend to pull it out a little as I curl, I also "re-fatten" the braid for a bit until I get the desired volume. 

So there you go, a simple, cute & effortless hairstyle perfect for everyday wear!  Oh and bonus, it looks great the next day as well! 

~Amy

Chocolate-Chip Banana Protein Muffins

I know, the title alone sounds good enough to eat!  I thought I would share this recipe for banana muffins that I've been slowly developing and perfecting over the last month or so.  I love muffins (though oddly enough I am not a cupcake fan), but I especially love when I can make breakfast muffins that are (for the most part) healthy and yet taste like they aren't.  That's what I have finally achieved with this recipe.  And it's not just my opinion - my recipes are always tested by my husband and this one got two thumbs up from him!  

So let's begin!  The first step will be to gather your ingredients:

You will need: All-purpose flour (I typically use white whole wheat flour), sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, two eggs, vegetable oil, Greek yogurt, protein powder, chocolate chips, and of course bananas.

Step 1:  In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs well with a whisk.  Add 1/3 Cup of oil and blend well.  Then add 1/2 Cup sugar and 1 tsp. of vanilla.  Mix until the wet ingredients are smooth.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1 1/2 Cups of flour, 1 tsp of baking soda and 1 tsp of salt.  Be sure to mix well so that the dry ingredients are well distributed.  After mixing, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir together just until the wet ingredients are incorporated into the dry (the mixture will be very thick and difficult to stir, but that's OK - we will thin it out later.

Next you will mash 3 ripe bananas and add them to the mixture.  

Mix the bananas in lightly - you do not need to stir too much.  Then you will add 1/2 Cup of Greek yogurt.  I had a french vanilla yogurt on hand so that is what I used, but plain would work just as well.  (it may not look pretty yet but it will!)

Mix the Greek yogurt in until well blended.  Then you will add your protein powder!  I typically use Garden of Life Raw Protein or Meal (Garden of Life) in either vanilla or chocolate.  This time around we used vanilla.  If your protein has a scoop inside you will add 1 1/2 scoops of protein, or the equivalent of roughly 1/3 - 1/2 cup.  Be sure to mix the protein powder in very well!  The you will add 1/2 Cup of chocolate chips and stir gently.

At this point our muffin mix smelled and tasted just like cake batter - it's heavenly!  

Now you will line your muffin pan with paper liners and use a spoon to pour the batter evenly.  

Bake the muffins at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 20-25 minutes.  (Mini-muffing take about 15-18 minutes).  Let them cool completely and then enjoy! 

You will want to store the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge; because of the yogurt mixed in I have found that they will go bad pretty quickly if they are stored on the counter but in the fridge they will keep for up to 10 days.  If you want to eat them warm just put one back in the oven at 350 degrees for a minute or two or stick them in the microwave for about 20 seconds. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe!  The muffins make a great on-the-go breakfast option that contains a good amount of protein to help keep you full.  

Complete recipe for printing:

Chocolate-Chip Banana Protein Muffins

Recipe from 1918Miles Blog

• 2 large Eggs
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 3 ripe Bananas, mashed
• 1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt (plain or vanilla)
• 1-2 scoops (1/3-1/2 Cup) Protein Powder (chocolate or vanilla)
• 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with wire whisk.  Add oil and mix until well blended.  Add sugar and vanilla extract and mix with whisk until mixture is smooth.  Set aside.
3. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt thoroughly.  Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until dry ingredients are fully incorporated (the mixture will be thick and tough to stir at this point).
4. Mash the bananas and add to the muffin mix.  Stir just until the bananas are blended in but do not over-stir.  Add the yogurt and mix well so that the yogurt is well distributed within the mixture.  Once the yogurt is well blended, add the protein powder.  Stir until well combined.  Then fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.  Using a spoon, evenly portion the batter between cups.  Bake at 350 F for approximately 20-25 minutes (15-18 minutes for mini muffins).  Allow to cool completely before storing.  Store in an airtight container  in the fridge.  Enjoy!

Simple Everyday DIY Life Hacks

I am pretty OCD about keeping things clean and organized in my house.  To that end, I thought I would share a few tips for keeping everyday items organized around your home!  A few of these ideas came from Pinterest inspiration and a few I came up with myself.  Happy Monday, everyone!  I'm off to start some spring cleaning!

So this isn't really an organization tip, but I wanted to share it.  I made this frame for my husband on our first anniversary and we love it!.  Usually, we leave messages in the early morning before heading to work.  It's a fun little way to remind someone of how much they mean to you!

On to organizing! 

I was getting tired of having Makeup brushes stored in a drawer all the time.  I found a solution by re-using this short, wide vase filled with glass stones.  Not only does it look cute, but it helps my brushes dry so much faster after I have washed them out in the morning!  (I think I would prefer to use smaller stones, but these are what I had on hand for now)

My closet definitely has to be organized.  I have a nice earring holder but I needed a new way to store all my necklaces.  These are just simple wall hooks that you can find at most retail stores.  Having these organized in my closet makes the process of picking out an outfit much easier and quicker!  

And not really a life hack, but just to prove that I am OCD about organizing I thought I would show that my closet is color-coordinated.  And I love it.  :)

I've seen some really cute and creative ways to store sponges/soap/etc around your kitchen sink.  I really liked an idea I had seen on Pinterest about using a cake stand to store things, however, my kitchen sink area is too small for a cake stand.  So instead, I found this adorable candle pillar at Target and I use that to hold things!  Usually, I have a small hand towel under the soap and sponges to keep it from being drenched in water.  Either way, I think it looks adorable and helps keep things more organized!  

If you have any unique & creative ways of organizing your house let us know!  We would love to hear your ideas!