Saturday, June 30, 2012

Nutella and Coffee?

Happy Saturday morning! This post is going to be a little short, but I'm falling really behind in the blogging world.
Have you all seen the pin for the Secret Starbucks Menu? They have a fantastic recipe for "The Nutella". It's pretty much all I get from them anymore, and it tastes just like Nutella! It's got a pump of mocha, a pump of hazelnut, and caramel drizzle. Absolutely great! I've got a great new way to start my mornings inspired by it. I add a half of my regular amount of creamer in mocha, and the other half hazelnut. And then I add a nice big spoonful of Nutella.
How do you drink your coffee in the morning?

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Really Exciting News. Seriously.

For the past 6 months or so, I've had a small lump in my right hand. 

It hurts occasionally and sometimes makes my hand tingly so I finally decided to get it checked out. Given my medical history, it could have been anything. Needless to say, I was a little nervous.

When we went to the doctor's he felt around for awhile, and then got a very serious look on his face. He told me it could be one of two things, then changed the topic! So here I am thinking I have a life-threatening issue and he's asking me about where I go to school. I swear, doctors are just mean human beings.

Finally after feeling around a little bit more, he tells me that I have a tumor, but it's completely benign. He wasn't worried about it at all, and said it was probably caused by fatty cells in my hand. We're going to monitor it over time, but if nothing changes, I'll probably live with it for the rest of my life.

As soon as I found out, I knew I had to tell all of my amazing followers. You all have been such an amazing support system for me in everything else, and I just wanted to share this great news! Thanks so much for being there for me. :)

Guest Post from Megan at Shaping Up to Be a Mom!

Hello everyone and welcome to week 3 of my guest posts!! I have an awesome post for you today from Megan. I'm actually really jealous of everything she's accomplished so far. Maybe a 30 before 30 list is in my future soon too. Her link is below, so make sure you check her out!
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Thanks to Kara for having me on The Snugly Duckling today!

I'm Megan from Shaping Up To Be A Mom, where I write about all things fashion, fitness, family, and lots more! I have two minis, Carter (3), and Vanessa (1), and we live with Daddy in southern Arizona, though I am originally from Maine.

I saw Kara's post about her bucket list, so I thought I'd share my bucket list with you today!

If you visit my blog, you will see my 30 Before 30 page. These are things I'm trying to finish before I turn 30 (I bet you could have guessed that, huh?), and I have just under two years left! I pulled my 30 before 30 list from my larger bucket list that has 1001 items!

A few things I've completed:

#16. Run a 10k race

Saying hi to the kiddos before the gun!

For Christmas, my husband based my gifts on my 30 before 30 list, and for one of them, he signed me up for a 10k! I trained for 8 weeks and then ran the whole thing without stopping to walk, which was my goal. It was also my goal to not finish last. I was slow, but I wasn't last! Read more about it here! Next running goal is a half-marathon at the end of August!

#8. Develop a skin care routine that works for me


As we've already covered, I am getting older! I wanted a quick and easy skin care routine that would take care of my skin while being something I could stick with every day. Turns out some of the cheapest products are the best! Read more here!

#30. Learn to solve a Rubix cube


This one will come in handy one of these days, I just know. Going along with his theme, my husband got me a Rubix cube for Christmas, and I spent all night watching YouTube videos and learning how to solve it. The main key is memorization, and once you get that part down, it's simple!

A few things I'm working on:

#1. Weigh 130 pounds

I think I picked 130 because of the "30" theme. Currently I'm trying to get to 140, which was my prepregnancy weight, and my long-term goal would be 125. I recently posted about some pretty sweet incentives I have if I reach my goal by the end of August. My half-marathon training will hopefully help me out with this one!

#6. Have another baby

We definitely want to have another baby and soon! I'm getting baby hungry, and I even started up a Pinterest board with some cute ideas. Here's one, how cute is this nursery?!

pretty

#10. Be successful and lucrative with my Cents of Style business

About 6 months ago, I signed on to be a stylist for the online boutique Cents of Style. They sell the cutest shoes, bags, and accessories for the lowest prices, and as a stylist it's like a little business of my own. I do at-home parties locally as well as website sales. I keep a Facebook page updated with all the latest products, so feel free to "like" it to get all the current info! If you love it, use coupon code "0512" on the website for 10% off and free shipping!


Want to start your own bucket list? It's easy! Just start writing things down that you would like to do, and start doing them! Here are some prompts to help you get started:

1. What are your major life-long dreams? Think BIG things, seemingly impossible things!
2. Where would you like to travel to? What would you like to do there? Examples: eat pizza in Italy, drink tea in England, ride a cable car in San Francisco.
3. Think major life events: graduate from college, get married, have a baby.
4. Think accomplishments: own a business, run a marathon, get a promotion, do 10 pull-ups.
5. Think fun: go to a spa, ride an upside down roller coaster, feed a giraffe.


Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you'll stop by sometime and tell me about your list!


Monday, June 25, 2012

You Might Not Know This About Me

Have you met Lauren from The Trunk Blog yet? She's hosting a great linkup this week called:
This linkup allows us bloggers to tell our great followers a little bit more about ourselves. So without further ado, I'd like to invite you to get to know me a little better!

1. I am almost never happy with my blog design.
2. I am the grumpiest, meanest morning person you will ever meet.
3. My life goal is to write children's books.
4. Cooking is a fancy word for something that I can't do.
5. I've got my list of majors narrowed down between 4: Advertising, Graphic Design, Public Relations, or Marketing. Then there's other fun things I'd love to do like teach, interior design, or wedding planning. There's just so much to choose from!
6. I can watch Disney Princess movies all day long and not be ashamed.
7. My awesome sister just started her own blog that she let me design for her, The Homebaker Life. Go follow her!
8. I have a fake tooth that will eventually require a root canal. I'm just putting it off as long as possible!
9. I am quite messy. And that's probably the biggest understatement of the year.
10. I am a huge grammar snob. My old roommates used to buy me dinner if I'd proofread all their papers. I got a lot of free dinners that way though!

Friday, June 22, 2012

High Five for Friday

Hello bloggers! My days are really starting to run together, and there's usually a 90% chance that I have no idea what day it is. Thankfully, I always know when Fridays are so that I can link up with Lauren for our high fives of the week!

1. Sharpies on mugs. Enough said.
Check out my tutorial here!

2. My dad took time out of his Father's Day to change my oil.

After my being stuck in the huge puddle:

3. So we spent the next day making up for it.

4. Then my sister and I celebrated her birthday by making coasters! Would you believe these cuties cost us 11 cents each?!
They were still drying for the picture, hence the huge globs.

5. I had my first real Pinterest fail this week. And I mean hard failing.
Have we all seen this precious pin?

Seems simple enough, right?
Hahahha no. Here's our end product:
From this...

... to this. Yikes!!

Needless to say, it was a pretty fun and interesting week. Come link up with Lauren so I can read all about your weeks too!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Guest Post: Lindsay from Three Peas In My Little Pod!


Welcome to Week 2 of my guest posting series this summer! Today, I am more than happy to introduce yall to Lindsay. Her blog is way too cute! I'm beyond in love with some of her real life pins she posts. Go make sure you check her out after you read her lovely post!
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Hi Lovelies!! I'm Lindsay and I blog over at Three Peas In My Little Pod!
My little piece of the blogosphere consists of recipes, DIY projects, fashion posts and lots of random things about being a Momma & Wifey.

I don't know about all of you, but I loooove summer. LOVE. It's by far my favorite time of year. It's filled with so many fun things - the river, the beach, the pool. Being outside and cooking out is one of my favorite warm weather activities. What better to quench your thirst than some hippie juice! I just found this great summer cocktail on Pinterest a while ago, and finally tweaked it to my tastes. It was AMAZING. It was totally delish! 

You Need:
1 c melon rum
1/3 c malibu rum with pineapple liqueur
1/3 c triple sec
1/2 c pink lemonade drink mix
fresh strawberries
fresh blueberries


Take an empty juice jug (I used a Simply Juice container) and add your pink lemonade mix, melon rum, malibu & triple sec. Next, add water up the neck of the jug and shake, shake, shake what your Momma gave ya! Once the drink mix has dissolved add in diced strawberries and blueberries. Chill for an hour, then enjoy!!

A huge thanks to Kara for letting me come over to her blog and say Hi to all of you wonderful readers!!
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I hope you all enjoyed her post. Sadly I won't be able to try out this recipe for a few more months, but I hope you love it! 
Keep in mind that The Snugly Duckling is still looking for more guest posters this summer! Shoot me a quick email if you're interested. kara@thesnuglyduckling.com!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

My Rascal of a Car

Bloggers, you will not believe what happened to me this Friday. 
Or maybe you will, but it's still pretty nuts! And just so it's not too depressing, I'm going to use the Little Rascals to help tell my story.

Around 4pm, I begin my 8 mile drive to my boyfriend's apartment. There's a few grey clouds, but certainly nothing to be worried about. About 2 miles in, it starts drizzling. Once again, nothing at all to be worried about, but I can definitely see that the grey clouds are getting closer.

I drive another mile or so and the rain really starts to come. I can still see out of my windshield, so I keep on trucking. And when I'm about a mile away from his apartment, out of nowhere comes literally a torrential downpour, very much like:
I drive a little bit further, knowing I was so close. The exit I had to get off on had a little raised water in the road, but more like a huge puddle. I figure that on the huge, extremely busy road, there wouldn't be any flash flooding. Aren't city governments supposed to ensure that? Who knows. 
Anyways, as I turn on to this huge road, I'm all of a sudden in a river. Like full on, up to my door handles river. That's probably extremely exaggerated, but it was terrifying.


However, I'm literally right next door. I can see his apartment from where I am. I keep on going a little bit longer, and all of a sudden, my car starts slowing down. A lot. I immediately think about trying to get over, but with the downpours, and extremely busy road, it's next to impossible. And all of a sudden, my car just dies. I don't know what to do, and immediately panic.

Figuring that's a bit of an overreaction, I call my boyfriend, who of course injured his back to the worst extent that day at work. He rushes to me while staying on the phone. I immediately break into tears and start having a huge panic attack. For those of you who haven't been keeping up, I don't have a job. Therefore, I cannot afford to spend loads of money on my car. As I sit in the river waiting for him to arrive, I hear the water sloshing around under my hood, and guess who's terrified?

I sit through this for a few minutes, and people are just driving by! What ever happened to the gentlemen who would stop on the side of the road to save a damsel in distress? I did, however, see a lot of snickers and amused looks, mostly from men. Throughout all this, I just had to think,

After about 15 minutes of sitting in this river that's only rising more and more, I finally see my boyfriend on the other side of the road. He pulls a U-turn as quickly as possible and comes to my rescue.

After jumping in my car, he takes a few moments to try to calm me down. Understandably, I'm still freaking out. Knowing that the longer I'm sitting in the water, it's probably only damaging my car more, he makes the hysterical girl climb in the backseat and immediately turns over the engine (after I tried like 5 times).

He rams my car up onto the hard curb behind us, and we sit there on dryish land for a few minutes waiting for the water to go down. After calling my dad and sister to let them know that everything worked out, it was pretty clear the water wasn't going down anytime soon. So what does my funny boy do? Drives the car on the grass (in front of a huge business, I might add), off the curb, and into his surprisingly dry apartment complex. He gets me in a parking spot close to the entrance and tells me to wait there to make sure that his car that he parked is still safe. I'm content with just sitting and relaxing after all this, and so I wait. And wait... And wait. I don't see him at all, so I finally decide to call him. Turns out, he was helping another girl who had gotten stuck in almost the exact same situation, while going through excruciating back pain. It just made me melt inside.

Thinking all this nonsense was over, we go into his apartment and enjoy our night. 
But guess what? It wasn't over. Of course not! That'd be too easy for my German piece of poop car.

As I try to leave, my lovely car decides that it doesn't want to go over 30 mph, when of course, I have to take the interstate home. I have my sweet sweet boy drive me home, and figure we'll try to fix it later in the weekend. My grandpa who knows everything about cars, tells us exactly what to do. Sadly, this falls on Father's Day weekend. So what does my dad do? He comes out with us on Father's Day to change my oil and hopefully drain the water from the engine. If that didn't work, it was probably going to cost way more than I have in my savings account. Thankfully though, that was all it took. A quick oil change, and my car is back to it's crazy self with only having to spend about $20 on the oil. You better believe there was a happy dance following that.

Hope you all enjoyed my story! It was way more fun telling it this way!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Liked it. Pinned it. Did it!

First of all, I must start off this post by mentioning my newest favorite shop! I just about died from laughter when I saw these.
And her shop is full of any mustache-y drinkware you can imagine. Definitely go check it out!

Whenever I saw it though, I immediately thought, "I could make those!" I ran out to World Market the next day to grab the mugs, and already had some ceramic paint on hand. However, when I opened my mugs, the metal piece that they stand in was cracked. I was so devastated. And knowing how unmotivated and procrastinating I am, the mugs are still sitting in my room waiting to be exchanged. Here's where Pinterest comes in though!


Remember this post I did a few months ago? Well in honor of wanting to use my super cute button again, here we go:

So on Pinterest this week, I found this great pin! I thought it would be a fun way to practice my mustache mugs, until it was time to make the real deal.
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All you need, is a dollar store mug, pencil, and sharpie.
If you're as much of a hoarder collector as I am, you already have these items on hand!

1. I found a google image mustache clipart that was just perfect for the project. (I strongly suggest you search "mustache clipart" in your spare time. You'd be shocked by the amount of different styles and crazy mustaches come up.) 
2. I printed and cut around the mustache. 
3. Using that as a template, I traced it in pencil on my mug.
4. Then I used my Sharpie, to color in every bit of it. While I had the Sharpie in my hand, I did a bit of modifying, nothing crazy.
5. Once I had the mustache looking exactly the way I wanted, I stuck the mug in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes, and it was done!


Such an easy craft, your 3 year old can do it (If you trust a 3 year old with Sharpies, that is)! Based on how quick this craft was, I'm even considering buying some colored Sharpies and making a set for my kitchen. Let me know if you try it out, I'd love to see your pictures!

Friday, June 15, 2012

High Five for Friday!

Although I really have no reason for Friday to be my favorite days, I still just love them to recap through the week. I cannot tell you how many times this week I had to ask someone what day it is! It's just so hard to stay in the flow, if there's no flow to be in. That probably doesn't make sense, so here's my highlights from the week!

1. HUGE news!!
My blog reached 100 followers this week! I am so blessed to have all of you who care about me. I've made some great friends through this fun blogging experience, and I can't wait to meet even more of you!

2. My church will never cease to amaze me. We did baptisms this week, and His presence just overwhelmed me. It was such a beautiful moment that, of course, I had to tweet about it. ;)
I was so honored that my church and pastor both retweeted me!

3. Framed Frosting's blog hosts "secret swaps" for her blogger friends, and it was SO much fun! We each got assigned a random person, and no one knew who had gotten who. Here's the fun gifts I got from my new blogger friend, Kristin! Make sure you check out her blog too. She's great!
It came with a bath bomb (which I totally used last night), chalkboard coasters, and fantastic cookie butter!

4. More time off work, means more time for crafting, right? Yesterday, my sister and I broke into my sewing machine, rethreaded it, and I'm totally ready to give it another shot!

5. I got to babysit the stinking cutest kid this week! I was cracking up when I saw him set up like this.

Make sure you link up with Lauren this week so that I can see all your week's highlights too!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Guest Post: Kate at Classy Living

Hey girls! Kate is the first of many guest posters coming to you from my blog this summer! I am hosting you all every Wednesday, and can't wait to see the awesome things you awesome ladies have in store. If yall are interested in guest posting, click here or send me an email here! I still have plenty of spots open.

I was so lucky to meet Kate through the sponsorship I offered last month. Her blog is truly awesome and I really hope yall go check her out. Especially her recipe for twice baked potatoes, they look fantastic! This is a truly great post, and something I struggle with as well, enjoy!
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Hey, I'm Kate from Classy Living!

When Kara asked for volunteers to guest post for her blog, I jumped at the chance.  Today I want to share a little piece of my heart with you about a lesson I've been learning over the last year or so.  
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I have a huge issue with control.  I don't know when the problem started to get out of hand, but I have noticed it more and more in the last few years as I have gotten older.  Maybe it's genetic and I get my Type-A personality from someone in my family.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am a teacher and it's my job to have a solid grasp on my students' learning and progress.  Or maybe it has to do with some unknown chaos from my childhood that causes me to compulsively micromanage my own life.  Either way, it's a problem with which I struggle daily, especially when it comes to my close relationships.
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The biggest lesson I have learned over the past few years is one that I often remind myself of daily.  I am only in control of myself and therefore have no control over others.  I can limit what comes out of my mouth, but I cannot regulate another person's reaction.

The only thing I can do is make choices about how to respond in certain scenarios.  Recently, I have discovered that these decisions can almost always be boiled down to a simple either/or situation.

For example: Sometimes, my long-distance boyfriend does not text, call, or e-mail me for several day-long stretches, except to say goodnight before he goes to bed.  I have a choice.  I can either get angry and hold it against him or let it go.

Another example: My younger sister gets upset with me and we have a huge fight.  I have a choice.  I can either hold a grudge or treat her with kindness.

Or even: I am having a quiet day at home in my pajamas, but there's an exercise class in thirty minutes. I have a choice.  I can either get dressed and go or not.

I know what you're thinking.

What are you trying to say, Kate?  Make the "right" decisions?

Well, yes.  But not quite.

I'm trying to tell you that you actually have a choice, even when you think you do not.  Sometimes we as humans like to label our decisions as "the natural reaction" or something that we just "do".  My recent experiences have proven to me that it's often best to step back and examine the other side of the issue - the "or not" part.  Instead of immediately lashing out at Walker for his lack of communication, I stop, evaluate the issue, and implement the "or not".  I will not get angry at him today; I will love him from afar.
Source: imgfave.com via Karen on Pinterest
Since implementing this new method of making decisions, I have been more content with my life, because I am no longer giving into my gut reactions.  Every choice I make is done deliberately, as I weigh the repercussions and consequences of my options.  I cannot control the ways in which the people around me act, but I can, and do, control my own choices.

I challenge you to consider the plethora of choices you have the privilege of making throughout your life.  Choose wisely, and make decisions that benefit others!
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A big THANK YOU to Kara for letting me write for her today!

If you'd like to read more from me, head on over to Classy Living.  I'd love to get to know you!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Tickle Me Tuesdays

I've wanted a bike for a few years now. Especially a sweet vintage one, but have yall seen the prices of those beauties? Around $300, I might have to wait a little bit to get on that. Until then, I'll just keep on dreaming! Here are my favorite three:

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Aren't they just beautiful? I found a fantastic, burgundy one on Craigslist for $80, but it was a little worn. Wish me luck and make sure to link up with Sarah for Tickle Me Tuesdays!

PS I'm still looking for guest posters for this summer! I had the wrong email address on my page before, so I'm sorry if I haven't responded to you. Please try to send it again! The correct email address is there now if you're interested. :)