The Monogrammed Life: March 2015

Easter is next weekend and that means that I will be home bound next week, which is always a cause for celebration! Furman gets Good Friday and the following Monday off which is pretty generous so I will be heading home Thursday (if not a bit earlier). My family is heading to our beach house for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so this will also give me an extra night of sleep in my own bed before boating and beaching. I am extra excited because it looks like my grandparents and aunt, uncle, and cousin will also be there making Easter a true family affair.

As for Easter, it usually depends on where we are as to how the morning goes. I admittedly still like it when a few Easter eggs are hidden even though the youngest person there will be 17. Regardless, we still do Easter baskets which is always something to look forward to. And since that Easter egg comment made me sound like a child you should all be pleased to know that I've used the same Easter basket every year since I was little, I guess you could say I like tradition. Easter baskets can be tricky since once you get older the smaller trinkets and goodies you received would be put somewhere and forgotten about. I honestly enjoy receiving candy as much as anything else but I do remember a few years when I got a bigger item for Easter which was more unexpected. One year in high school I got a pair of Lilly shorts I had been wanting and last year I considered my trip to the Biltmore and Asheville (part of a Christmas present from my grandmother) to be an Easter gift. Both were so memorable so if you're completely stumped something unexpected is always fun. Below I have included loads of cute and fun gifts that any girl would love to receive at a variety of price points and all of these would probably arrive in time to be placed in an Easter basket!

Turkish Towel | Water Bottle | Evelyn Henson Print

Lilly Scarf | Scalloped Tote | Rollerball Perfume | Umbrella

Monogrammed Sleep Shorts | Earrings

Dainty Turquoise Necklace | Sassy Pink Shoes

While some of these would definitely leave the recipient speechless I think that as long as the gift is something that can be used and is preferably colorful since it is in fact spring then you can't go wrong!

Personally I would love to continue to grow my Evelyn Henson print obsession by adding the "Be an Adventurer" illustration to my collection (hint, hint mom and dad). I also adore those fun sleep shorts and you really can't go wrong with something monogrammed. In the spring and summer I always wear sleep shorts to bed so this would also be super practical. Also, fun fact, my little's mom owns that monogramming store, The Horseshoe Crab, and sells the cutest monogrammed goodies that would be perfect for presents or to keep for yourself. And she has a super fast turn around time if you're in a pinch!

What are your plans for Easter? Did any of these items just make it to your spring wish list?

Written by Dorothy of Prep In Your Step

Monday, March 30, 2015 8 comments

Friday, March 27, 2015 No comments

I am SO ready for sandal season.

How ready you ask? So ready that I’ve been wearing an old pair of Jacks around the house because right now, my boots, wellies + I need to take a break. See other shoes, you know, the usual. I’ve been feeling a bit claustrophobic lately when it comes to my winter shoes.

But before I officially bust out my sandals, I could really use a pedicure.

At Home Pedicure Tips - DC Girl in Pearls

Soak

I was lucky with my old apartment because it had a bath where I could hang out and soak my feet but my current apartment only has a shower. An easy + crazy cheap remedy: get a small plastic tub from Target! I have this white dishpan that I snagged at Target for $2!! This is not a fire drill!! Soak your feet in warm water or you could also add Johnson’s Foot Soap. I’ve used this soap for years and I swear it’s magic. As someone who abuses the heck out of their feet, I swear by Johnson’s Foot Soap. It might just be my #1 beauty secret.

Exfoliate + Scrub

Once your little piggies (I couldn’t bring myself to type out feet or toes one more time) are done soaking, it’s time to get exfoliating! Tweezerman is my favorite brand for (duh) tweezers but did you know they also make a mean foot file? Telling you, this foot file will help smooth out those rough patches. I always get dry patches on my heels, guaranteed. To battle this monster, I first use my foot file as a means of attack and then to really claim total victory, St. Ives Apricot Scrub is the best. I really cannot remember not having a jar of apricot scrub handy, it’ll make your skin glow and look like a million bucks. If we wanted to keep score, St. Ives Apricot Scrub is my #2 beauty secret.

Moisturize

Right now I’m still working on my jar of Trader Joe’s coconut body butter. I love that it’s non-greasy and I feel like the jar has lasted me forever, it might be the Mary Poppins bag of body butters. But I’ll be honest, I’m more partial to Yes To Carrots Body Butter. I’ve been a fan of their body butter since high school (that’ll be since 2007) because it dries quickly, totally enriches dry skin and has a scent I could only describe as clean. I detracted points from Trader Joe’s body butter because its coconut aroma is rather strong and makes me smell like a piña colada. Which isn’t the worst thing at times but for 9-5, it can be a bit much. You might laugh at the name “Yes To Carrots” but trust me, this stuff really works! My college roomie used to tease me about my love for Yes To Carrots until she tried the body butter. And then we had to buy separate containers because neither of us was all that great at you know, sharing the body butter.

Polish

Finally, the most fun step: nail polish!! In the spring + summer, I love to change up and play with a variety of bright hues for my nails. But when it comes to pedicures, I’m solidly on Team Pink. Very, very rarely I’ll switch to a red color but for the most part, my pedicure colors are: OPI’s La Paz-Itively Hot + You’re Such a Kabuki Queen (pictured above) and Essie Mob Square.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015 3 comments

Right before leaving for a trip you can find me in my kitchen baking.

I don’t know why this is…maybe because I want something homemade to take on the road, maybe because it relaxes me, or maybe because it’s the best way to procrastinate packing. . . . yes I think it’s mostly that last reason.

This was true last night – before we head to Seattle & Canada, I decided to spend time trying a new recipe instead of packing. I also need treats for our friend in Seattle of course! In my quick scan of our pantry before leaving town (which was scarce)…I spotted our favorite peanut butter, tcho chocolate pieces, and SALT...lightbulb! We didn’t even have any flour or white sugar — but they don’t need it! They are easy and amazing!

Here are some salty, creamy, peanut-buttery, chocolate chippy cookies for your weekend. Whether you’re leaving on an adventure or staying at home, these will be the perfect treat.

Here’s your quick recipe! let me know what you think!

{makes about 16 medium-sized cookies}

Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter (we love pb&co smooth operator for this, as seen above! )
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
salt, to taste {for sprinkling}

Directions

** Don’t be mad at me when this dough is sticky!! :) It is supposed to be that way. These are flourless, and you will love how soft and creamy they are once baked. For the sticky dough, use an ice cream scoop to make it less messy since you can’t roll them by hand!

combine peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla and beat on until fluffy and combined. the sugar should be completely incorporated so that there are no grains…only smoothness!
(store bought peanut butter is recommended so that these cookies hold together, spread less, and bake thicker.)
add in the baking soda and mix.
mix in the chocolate gently.
using your cookie scoop, drop medium sized-balls onto baking sheet. sprinkle a bit of salt over the top. (you’ll add more after they are baked)
cover with plastic, and refrigerate for 2 hours or more. (you can do overnight if you want!) if you’re like me and don’t have the patience for that, pop them in the freezer for 20-30 minutes so they set and won’t spread. ***this is important for the texture of these cookies!
when you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 250 and bake 8-10 minutes until the edges are golden. cookies should still be soft and chewy, not browned! cookies will set more as they cool – so don’t over-bake.
sprinkle some fresh salt onto the top of the warm, fresh cookies. scatter over the top of cookies so that each one gets the salty taste. trust me, this makes the cookies!
be sure to let the cookies cool for at least ten minutes (again with the patience!! :) and then transfer them to a tray for serving warm, or store in a container!

You can freeze these cookies (or the dough) for later, but we recommend eating them sooner than that :)

Enjoy and see you from Seattle!

Written by Emi of Well Traveled Wife

Monday, March 23, 2015 No comments

Friday, March 20, 2015 4 comments

Some days my to-do list is so long that I feel like I'll never finish it in a decent amount of time. And when I see that I have a lot of stuff to do, it doesn't give me any motivation to do it. So, I've developed a system that helps me to crank out my to-do list, and it works really well!

one // set a reward

Setting a reward to get when you finish your to-do list is a great incentive to find motivation to get things done. The incentive that I always choose is going to the gym. My life is so busy that I usually have to carve in a certain time for me to go to the gym, even though I love going! By telling myself that I'll have enough time to go to the gym if I finish everything, it really makes me want to get everything done. Another great reward is watching a couple of episodes of whatever series you're currently watching on Netflix. I just started One Tree Hill on Netflix this past weekend (and almost done with the first season, sorry not sorry!), so having enough time to watch some of it during the week is relaxing and awesome.

two // stay focused

Sometimes when you have a lot of things to do, especially ones that bore you, it's easy to get distracted. I especially get distracted while on social media, so I try to stay away from that! Put away any devices that might make it easy for you to get distracted. Take a little break every hour or so in order to go back to your list feeling refreshed and motivated, but try not to take too long of a break because then it will be harder to go back!

three // write it down

I write down everything that I need to do. If I don't write it down, I'm guaranteed to forget about it. It's also super rewarding being able to physically cross out any completed task; it always motivates me to keep going and gives me an idea of how much I have left to do!

four // create a schedule

Create a schedule of certain time frames for each task. This helps me to stay focused. It also lets me know if I'm falling behind on time or if I'm getting through things quickly. Finishing tasks before the allotted time is done also motivates me because it lets me know that I'll have even more time to spend on my reward, or going to the gym!

How do you stay focused?

Written by Ashley of Private School Prepster