Pink Lemonade

Scones and Tea

Dark Chocolate Stuffed Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

6 T cold Earth Balance buttery sticks, cut into chunks (freeze it for 30 minutes prior to baking for best results)

1/2 cup + 2 T soy or coconut based coffee creamer

12 squares good quality dark chocolate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in the Earth Balance with your fingers and work mixture together until it resembles coarse sand.

Add the creamer and mix with your hands until a dough forms. Make an 12 inch circle with the dough and slice into 24 small wedges. Place one square of dark chocolate on a small triangle and then top with another small triangle, pressing the sides of dough together the best you can. Repeat with remaining triangles and chocolate squares, then place on a lined baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes before eating.

Time:

30 minutes

Homemad Chai Tea

 

Ingredients

• 2 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 bags black tea, such as Assam or Darjeeling
• 3/4 cup reduced-fat milk

Directions

1. Bring spices, ginger, and water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until liquid becomes aromatic, about 15 minutes. Whisk in sugar, then add tea bags; turn off heat and let steep 3 minutes.

2. While tea is steeping, warm a serving pot by rinsing several times with very hot water. Strain tea mixture through a fine strainer or a coffee filter into pot. Heat milk over medium heat until just simmering. Whisk until frothy. Pour into serving pot, stirring well to combine.

So Long Month of May

Whitney's Month:

This month seemed super busy, but I'm sure it was nothing compared to Melissa's hectic month before the "big day." I went yard saling and scored some awesome stuff. A stuffed Arthur, a few brand new books, and a free plaid shirt were among the loot I brought home. My adorable nephew Owen celebrated his 1st birthday and I was less than thrilled to be stuck in the back of a car with 18 balloons on the way to the party. My highlight of May was when I finally succumbed to the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. I'm currently reading the 3rd installment and I'm seriously obsessed.

Melissa's Month:

It feels like May just flew by in a crazy stressful blur. We still need to tie up all the loose ends on the wedding with it only being two weeks away! Between my car needing to be fixed, rushing to get wedding tasks done, and still waiting on settlement for the house, it was nice to have some time to catch up with an old friend who I haven't talked to in awhile. Not everything was entirely stressful though, there were plenty of nice days sitting outside blowing bubbles for the dog to chase and sharing an ice pop. I'm so ready for June!

I'm a Believer

Make your make-up go the distance.  I couldn't believe it until I tested it on myself.  For years, I thought this was just another scam for cosmetic companies to make me part with my hard earned cash.  The results are in, it really does work!

I tried two different foundation primers.  The first of these was Mary Kay's Foundation Primer Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 15 ($16).  I was happy that it did not make my skin oily or give off any fragrance.  It felt silky smooth going on and like most primers a little goes a long way.  After a 9 hour work day, my make up was still fresh.  For those of you who want to keep your face protected from the sun this is great option because of the built in SPF.
I also tried Mark's (by Avon) Primed for Perfection Face Primer ($10).  This went on just the same as Mary Kay's primer.  Again, there was no greasy or oily feel to it and did not have any oder.  It felt just as silky smooth as the other primer and did just as good a job.  After another 9 hour work day, my make-up still looked like I had just applied it.  Overall, I would pick this primer over Mary Kay's since it is $6 cheaper (I like cheap!) and most foundations have SPF in them already so I don't really need it in my foundation primer.

While both of these foundation primers did the job, I liked Mark's Please Hold Eye Primer ($8) for my lids.  This looks and feels more like a mouse foundation.  However, as someone who was using actual face foundation as eye primer, this works so much better!  I'm a total convert.  After another long work day, I didn't have the usual creases in my eye shadow and my eyeliner had not smudged on bit!  I can't tell you how many times I used to reapply my eye make up during the day.  This is certainly the fix to that problem.  I love this because I don't always put on foundation every day, especially in the summer I try and keep my make-up light.



Lastly, I also tried Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix ($28) available at Sephora.  While this isn't exactly primer, it does the same job.  You can apply this before or after you apply your make-up.  I usually apply my foundation and blush first then spray this on.  I think this held my face make up the best out of the other two actual foundation primers.  However, my only con is if you spray this on after you do your lids, it washes away your eye make-up.  I like this option just for the days that I don't want to apply foundation, but I do still want blush.

All of these products work great.  It's just a matter of your personal preference based on needs and price point. Ideally, my top two picks would be the eye primer and the mist & fix, just because it matches my needs the best (I really dislike foundation).  Is there anything you've tried that you that you really like?

Prayer for Peace Day

 

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Pink Lemonade Crush {Emma Stone}

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We are totally obsessed with Emma Stone. She's Hollywood's "it" girl lately and it's easy to see why. She's not just pretty and fashionable like many celebs. She's quirky, funny, and real. Jim Carrey even professed is love for her in a totally creepy, yet endearing video last year. Plus, Ryan Gosling said, "show me a man who wouldn't give it all up for Emma Stone and I'll show you a liar." Hello! Ryan knows what he's talking about.

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We first met Miss Stone in 2004 on a VH1 talent show, In Search of the New Partridge Family. (Side note: that's also where we first met Teddy Geiger.) Since then Emma has appeared in multiple hits, including Superbad, Easy A, Crazy Stupid Love, and last year's award winning hit, The Help. Officially taking her stardom to the next level, Emma Stone stars in a big budget summer blockbuster. On July 3, The Amazing Spiderman hit theaters and Emma is the leading lady in this revamped comic book story. Nope, no Mary Jane in this one. She plays Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker's other love interest. Emma's now dating Andrew Garfield who just happens to play Spiderman and they make an adorable couple. This fall Emma stars alongside Ryan Gosling (again!) and Sean Penn in The Gangster Squad, a movie about the LAPD's fight to keep mafia out of Los Angeles in the 1950's.

 
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Emma went back to her natural blonde for Spiderman and at first.  She actually dyed her hair red to stand out against all the other blondes in Hollywood when she was first looking for acting jobs.  We love her new blonde look; Emma can pull off any hair color.   We can't wait to see this film even if it's just for the really cute collegiate style Emma's got going on!

 
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Emma has certainly made waves as a style icon lately too.  We can't enough of her fashion choice, make-up looks, and ever-changing hair style.  She definitely seems to have a good sense of self.  She is the kind of person we would be friends with and wish to share closets with.

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I'm Feeling Lucky

Yesterday evening I found TEN four-leaf clovers.  That means I must have ten times the the luck!  Maybe I'll win the lottery this week! Or maybe I'll have a really good hair day two days in a row because consecutive good hair days are like winning the lottery.

^{Dress from Francesca's Collections; Shoes from Target; Watch from Forever21 (old)}

I was certainly lucky the day I found this dress on clearance at Francesca's Collections for $30.  It's quickly become my favorite outfit. I love the girly ruffles on the shoulder, the polka dot skirt, the bold royal blue color, the pockets!  The cut of the dress is just perfect for my body type.  I've worn this to the office at least a half dozen times since the weather has been nicer.  It's definitely my business power dress.  I feel confident, unique, and still really girly.

But now my friends I feel like I must bless you all with some business advice.  A good leader is not one who is the loudest and talks the most; I believe a good leader must have a strong silent confidence (like Mufasa on the Lion King, and yes, I did just make that Disney analogy).  A good leader is one who actually listens and is not constantly thinking of the next thing to say while the other person is talking. A good leader empowers and builds up the confidence of those around them, not micromanages or belittles others.  Now go forward and be like Mufasa! 

Things I Love About Summer

Sunglasses as an acceptable substitute for make-up.

Eating ice pops and not feeling guilty about the high fructose corn syrup.

 

Wearing jean jackets with everything.

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Fresh berries from the farmer's market.

 

No apologies for crazy wavy hair.

 

Feeling like a little kid again at amusement parks.

Caffeine. On ice.

 

Pretty sunsets.

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Picnic Favorites

Jell-O Patriotic Mini Fruit Tarts (Source)

Ingredients

1 (14.1 ounce) package ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts

1 (3.4 ounce) package JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 cup cold milk

1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

1 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray 24 mini muffin pan cups lightly with cooking spray. Cut each crust into 12 wedges. Press 1 wedge up and around inside of each prepared cup to form shell, pressing edges of dough together as necessary to completely cover bottom and side of cup. Bake 10 to 12 min. or until golden brown; cool slightly. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Meanwhile, beat pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in COOL WHIP; spoon into resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate until tart shells are cooled. Cut off one bottom of corner of filling bag; use to fill tart shells. Top with berries just before serving.

It's thoughful to bring some kind of dessert to any get-together, especially in the summer. If you're looking for a quick recipe to whip up for Memorial Day we love these patriotic mini fruit tarts. Fresh berries add color and flavor and buying pre-made tart shells makes it really easy!

Mini Hot Dogs and Burgers

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There really isn't a recipe for mini burgers or hot dogs. It's more about finding the mini buns (potato rolls work well for mini hamburger buns) and buying ground beef and the little weenies. Either way, they are way too cute not to pick up and eat at at picnic. Just load on your favorite condiments, or it might actually be easier to dip these in the condiments instead.

Watermelon Mojitos (Source)

Ingredients

4 large mint leaves 1/2 lime

1 tablespoon superfine sugar

4 ounces seedless watermelon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3/4 cup), plus a small wedge for garnish

2 ounces white rum

1/2 cup ice cubes

Watermelon is one of the best fruits for summer and this cool take on a mojito is so refreshing. Make a pitcher full for the adults. Just omit the run and it's completely kid-friendly.

One Month!

We are now ONE MONTH away from the wedding.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous at this point.  I don't think I even have one free weekend between now and the wedding.  Last weekend alone I met with the caterer, site coordinator, seamstress, ordered candies for the dessert table, purchased items to work on place cards, and went on a (successful) hunt for the perfect bridesmaid gifts. Also, I had two bridal showers in the past two weeks! My girls, of course, threw me a beautiful one, but the ladies at work also surprised me at lunch with another shower!

Today as I was driving home from work, I started wondering why we just didn't elope.  I'm a major procrastinator (hence why you still don't have your awesome Hanson Day music video).  I'm also not one for being the center of attention at parties.  The thought of everyone watching me walk down the aisle kind of makes me nauseous.  And I hate dancing! I really only intend to dance once at my wedding, the first dance.

Below is your last sneak peak before the "Big Day."  I think it's all started to come together nicely. You can check out the first sneak peak again to get a better picture of the overall feel for the day.  And no, I will now reveal any details on the dress.

Hopefully, I'll see you June 16th!

The LWD-The Little White Dress

Summertime doesn't just mean a change in the weather. It also means a change in our wardrobes. Everyone dresses differently during the summer. And, I don't just mean shorts instead of pants and tanks instead of long sleeves. By the time summer rolls around I'm beyond ready to ditch my cozy sweaters and dark knits and I trade them in for breezy fabrics and lighter/brighter colors. One item that is always on my list for summer purchases is the perfect LWD-that little white dress that goes with everything. I'm a sucker for a cute dress and the LWD works for any style. Go ahead and get an eyelet one if you like sweet outfits or buy a white shirtdress if you're more into classic styles. It can be dressed up for a date night or worn simply for a picnic or barbecue. The LWD has been around for a while but the LBD (Little Black Dress) seems to get all the credit for being versatile while its counterpart pretty much made Marilyn an "It" girl. You don't need to be a bride or at your confirmation to wear white in the summer. Everyone can do it. It's the simplest thing to throw on and you'll always look chic and fresh.

(All Photos found on Pinterest)