Just my Style!

2.28.11-

 

Lots & LOTS of stacks of magazines must mean

only one thing-

MAGAZINE MONDAY!!

 

I'm loving the new Flea Market Style magazine

 run out & get yours today, call a friend, look through it & discuss ideas together.

{FYI-  I looked everywhere for mine but finally found it at Barnes & Noble.}

Happy reading {lots of dog earring} & creative ideas-

Oh, how I Love Magazines!!

{M}

A Valentines {Tradition} re-cap

2.25.11-

 I couldn't let the month of February go by without sharing a wonderful family tradition we do to celebrate Valentine's Day in our home.  This tradition has goes back to 1995 when my husband & I were dating and students at Utah State. Ty invited me over to his apartment for a candlelight dinner

{on a cardboard table w/ a Valentines table cloth}

we dined on Quiznos sandwiches {turkey bacon guacamole} potato chips {my fav-cheddar sour cream} &  raspberry jello salad.

He decided to reenact that dinner several years ago with Macey has his helper & 6 years later we still turn the kitchen into a magical place to have our Quizno sandwiches by candlelight every Valentines night. Tyler always dresses up in his Tux to serve dinner & the girls always dress in their finest too.

{You can imagine in a house of all little girls how much they loved Ty putting on his tux, each year he tries to get out of it but the girls won't let him!}

-Mace & Ty in 2006. Love the way she is looking up at him. Oh, I need to grab some tissues!-

Macey always takes our order & serves our drinks to us.  The last 2 years Audrey & Emily have been the "decorating" committee & they enjoy contributing to the special night. They make little decorations, string crepe paper around the room & cut out paper hearts.

{It was Emily's idea to light up the "dance floor" this year- this was a first}

Each year little things change but some things ALWAYS have to stay the same or else there will be tears-

-the tux has to be worn! {You're a good sport Ty, love you!}

- We {A,E & I } have to wait to be seated by Macey

-Macey has to read us the menu & take our orders

-Quiznos sandwiches & potato chips have to be served {I have to  eat the Turkey Bacon Guac.}

-We HAVE to drink from fancy glasses {of coarse!}

-Ty always gives us girls a gift at dinner

-pictures of the girls with their Dad

- & there must be dancing.

Just like the 1st dinner there is dancing afterwords & the girls love it!  It melts my heart each year to watch each of my girls dance with their Dad & see how much they have grown from year to year. It wasn't too long ago that he held A&E in his arms & Macey would stand on his feet & dance around the room.  I adore watching them &

I don't even mind having to wait my turn to dance with Ty. 

-So if you'll indulge me here are some of the pictures from recent years-



-2006, Sleeping Beauty & Snow White came to the dinner-




-Mace taking the order-





-Mace serving dinner in 2007-





-The Princesses make an appearance again in 2007. Love the days of the dress-ups & that in their minds they were REALLY dressing up in their best for the occasion-




-Sleeping Beauty with her Dad-




-Ty & Snow White-




-Mace & Ty-




- The girls & I in 2008-





-Audrey excited for the addition of Cheetos to the menu-




-Audrey added a spotlight to the dancing in 2008-




-Em in 2009-





-Em & her Dad in 2009-



-Ty & I -



-Everybody Dance in 2009-




- Our Valentines Dinner 2011-




-Our favorite Valentines waitress {I can't believe she can wear my shoes!}-



-Ty & I - 15 years since the 1st Valentines Dinner-



-Love  this picture of Audrey dancing! :) -



-Em with Ty, it was her idea to light up the dance floor this year.  She strung Christmas lights around the area rug.  It made it so fun!-

-Can't believe how much Miss Mace has grown from the 1st time her & her Dad planned our Valentines dinner in 2006. Thanks Mace for always planning this special night with your Dad for our family- love it & you!-

Oh, how I love having this tradition in our family. 

It is always such a special night for us. I love that we look forward to this every single year & it wouldn't be Valentines Day without it.

{I'm so blessed to have 3 wonderful girls & 1 great guy in my life!}

{M}

Top of the afternoon to ya!

2.24.11-

2x's today {I know} but when I saw this it just made me happy & I had to share

-I am suddenly excited for March to get here!!-

I am so going to get some of these to give out for
St. Patty's Day

{LOVE me some Bath & Body lip gloss- they are the best!}

So stinkin' cute!!

{M}

Body & Spirit

 2.24.11-

Got this from the fabulous Rhonna Farrerr's blog & wanted to share it with all of you. She is doing a 6 wk. shape up over there so check it out if you're interested. I feel like I am right there with her in this {besides eating my Red Velvet Cupcake yesterday} I have tried to eat healthier, add more fruits & veggies each day, really be conscious of what I eat & exercise more.

{Happy to report that I have been Diet Coke FREE for 3 1/2 weeks now- wa-hoo!}
I have totally felt a difference & I'm enjoying the little changes I have made to my daily routine & diet.
for example-

.NO caffeine,
.trying to not have cheese on my sandwiches 
{oh, how I love Swiss}
.smaller portion size,
.eating more fish,
.limiting the amount of SWeeTs I eat,
{this is a toughie for me!} 
.drinking LOTS of H2O
& absolutely nothing to eat after 8 p.m.
{except when it's Gourmet Club night- oops!}


I feel like this is manageable & easier than starting or trying to keep up with the dreaded D word {DIET}
So I'll keep trying to do little things each day to take care of my body & spirit. One thing that helps is going to Zumba & Yoga at the gym each week.

I am also reading a book right now called Divine Signatures by  Gerald Lund {I read maybe 2-3 books a year, bad I know} but I am really enjoying it & the discussion of how our Heavenly Father knows what is going on in our lives & wants to help us whenever he can. Sometimes people call little things {Miracles}that happen in our lives coincidences but the author discusses the fact that they seem to come in our lives at just the perfect moment & precisely timed that they seem like-
a blessing autographed from heaven.
{love that!}

-A little gift specifically sent to us personally-
{the author does a much better job of explaining it than I am}

I have totally felt his influence in my life recently & the tender mercies he has given me.  I know that miracles do happen all around us each & every day.

Expect {& look for} miracles today!

{I'm sure they are out there we just have to realize & appreciate them}

{M}

What I wore Wednesday

 2.23.11-

Just wanted to show off my new hairdo I got today!

{Loving my new highlights, color & curls-thanks Tex!}

Also my cute new jacket {only $19}I got at TJMaxx. I'm loving that store right now! I had so much fun yesterday that I went back to get one more lamp for M's room & walked out with that & 2 jackets & a shirt-holla!

Oh, I love my brown boots. They are so comfy & cute.

My flower pin is from Leila Birds Nest- so colorful & fun!

& of coarse my Nikon 3100 that I got for Christmas from my Schmoopie! 

{M}

*Oh, & I went to check out the Sweet Tooth Fairy in Layton {ran into a friend} enjoyed a Red Velvet cupcake- which was delicious by the way {& was given the the sweetest compliment from the clerk about my jacket & pin I was wearing & my cute purse} that along with the yummy cupcake made my day!

So many things I am loving lately!

2.22.11-

 First of all I am excited to report that we painted Miss Mace's bedroom this weekend {wa-hoo}- pics to follow soon!

{still lots of things to place & get in order before I reveal anything}

& I found a lamp at TJ's today {only $20} to make my key lamp a reality- yeah!

I wanted to share with you all a few things that I am loving lately

{obsessed would be a good word to use too ;)}

1- Season 25

Oprah's behind the scenes reality show of the making of her TV show each day on her new network OWN.  I really find it fascinating seeing what happens on a day to day basis, meetings in Oprah's inner offices, all her producers & watching her pack her lunch at 5:55 each morning to go to work.  Anyone else out there watching it??

2- ZuMBA!!

I love going here a couple of times a week to shake it with all my friends & neighbors. I wish I could shake my hips like the South Americans do but hey I'm trying & laughing along the way with my friends.  If you are looking for something to do this Thursday head on up to Mt. Green & Zumba for a good cause. It's so much fun!!

{WISH, I could go but I have Gourmet Club that night. I might be sending my girls- they love it too!}

3- The Amazing Race!

Yeah- a new season is starting!  We LOVE watching this as a family & getting together with our good friends the "S" Family to each Sunday night to watch it.  We are all pulling this season for our favorites, the Cowboys- Yee-Haw! 

We hope they win it all this time around.

4- New Pillows

I hit TJ Maxx today & found these terrific linen pillows with a Bee on them, even better!  I have wanted something like this for a while now to brighten & lighten up my couch. It is just what I needed to get through the wintertime blues.

-Bon jour!-

5- Dark Chocolate Pomegranates

From Costco- so yummy & good for you too! ;) 

6- a 2 hour lunch with a friend at Rumbi's

Yes, 2 hours just talking, laughing & visiting with my dear friend Becky that I met years ago while at the Farmers Market in Ogden on 25th Street. So grateful she stopped by my little H&H booth to say hi, all these years later I count it as a true blessing to be her friend!

Another thing I am loving is Rumbi's fish tacos. They are really, really good {light & fresh with great flavor} 

I'm not a big fish person either but I can't get enough of them.

{trying to eat healthier lately :) }

7- New Jersey Cookies {otherwise known as Oatmeal Choc. Chip}

*not to brag but I did win a blue ribbon at the County fair & a red ribbon at the State Fair with this family cookie recipe- they are good!

My daughter Emily & her friend Annie made cookies yesterday ALL by themselves & wrapped them up to take to a new neighbor that will be moving in down the street.  Thought it was so sweet of them to think of that. I'm glad there was some left over to put in the cookie jar to enjoy today!

Oh, & I'm happy to report that I figured out why I couldn't down load any of our Valentine pictures from my camera that I wanted to share with you, the problem is fixed & I'll be posting them soon so check back.

{M}

Projects & dreams

2.18.11-

Time to Flourish! {my one word for 2011}  

I have a long list of projects that I have been wanting to do for awhile now & this weekend I am hoping to tackle a few of them. {fingers crossed}So here they are in no particular order

I want to make this-

{a Framed Marque- with a great frame I got at the DI}

 I like the idea of changing this up all the time & thought it would be great in the hallway between my girls bedrooms.  Lots of space to write little love notes or a favorite quote or two

& with another frame this-

Except with the Duke BB schedule written on it & then BYU football games in the Fall in our family room.

{love this idea!}

& this

I have been collecting keys for awhile now & was given 2 great old keys from Tyler's Grandma GG that I think would be perfect in a lampshade. I want to make 2 lamps to place on our sofa table in our Great Room.

& I want to paint Miss Mace's room this weekend.

{we are thinking a lovely shade of Turquoise}

Does anyone out there have a shade they love or have used??  If you have any recommendations we would love to hear them.

Time to update her room & "TWeeN" it a little bit something that will be fun for her to be in. I am thinking very eclectic, hip & girly all at the same time.

& finally someday this-

I LOVE the idea of putting shades around all the windows in our home from A- to whatever.

{we have a lot of windows so it might come close to Z}

Thought it was such a clever & fun idea

& I wish I would have seen this picture before I carpeted the stairs, maybe when I get sick of the carpet this is what they will turn into.

I guess that's what I need to keep thinking about all these projects I have- one step at a time! Maybe eventually I will get them all done :)

Happy{long} Weekend everyone! 

{M}

Oh, the places I go!

2.16.11-

**AUGH- I wanted to share some pictures of our Valentines Dinner the other night but something is wrong w/ downloading the pictures of my camera- so maybe another day!**



Sometimes I just enjoy sitting at the computer & wondering aimlessly from blog to blog {does anyone else do that, or am I the only one??}  I like to check out a few of my favorites websites to hopefully spark my creativity.  So I thought it would be fun to share with you a few {part 1} of my HaPPy PLaCeS I like to go.

I have 3 friends {B,S & D} that "share" with me, by email, every Monday great party ideas, inspiring decorating projects, a shopping bargain they have come across or simply a fabulous blog to check out. That is how I came across this fun blog by
{A}nnie. {love that she loves brackets as much as I do}
I have to tell you that I was a "stalker" for a long time but finally got up the courage to leave her a comment last week & to my surprise she in turn left one on my blog. I was so excited! She even added my blog to her blog list, WOW, so I wanted to give her a shout-out on mine too.

{aren't making connections the BeST!}

-cute self photo of {A}nnie from her blog-

Thanks Annie, I am going to make it to Sonic one of these days to try a DC w/ Coconut & Lime!

 {maybe we could met & enjoy one together- I'll bring the bakers twine ;) }

I love her honesty, her love for her family, her religion, sharing life's daily trials & triumphs & showing off her decorating skills.
{Love her style}

Some of my other FaVS are-
{just click on the blog name to be linked over}

Gillar Girl  {decorator extraordinaire, party planner, wife & Mom-Tiffany}

Rhonna Designs {got to met this spunky cute lady at **SPaRK this year}


-one of Rhonna's fabulous creations-

Style me Pretty {my ALL TIME FAV- I've shared this before but it deserves another shout-out. So many amazing ideas!!}

Captures Photography Journal- {my creative friend Haley & her photography}

October Afternoon {love the name & the papers- charming!}

Three Potato Four- {wish I lived down the street from here- I would want to buy everything, so many great things}

-I adore the photography from 3 potato 4- love how they put everything{they are selling} together!-

Happy "Surfing!"
{M}

Psst... & remember don't be afraid to leave a comment because you might just make a new friend ;) {hint, hint!} 

Something SWeeT!

2.14.11-

  Happy {Heart} Day everyone! 

Hope you all have a wonderful day. I got to spend the morning with my 4 Valentines, made them heart shaped waffles for breakfast, gave them their Valentine pouch bags & I get to spend tonight with them & celebrate another, Quigley family tradition, candlelight V-Day dinner.

{more to come about this tomorrow}

I just wanted to share Audrey & Emily's Valentines with you because I thought it was the SWeeTesT thing ever! 

{Don't you love when you see your kids doing something nice on their own or without being told to do it? It makes my heart sing!}

They were writing all of their Valentine cards the other night, for their classmates, & I noticed that they were each taking the time to write a personal message to each one of their friends

-You are a good reader

-You are smiley!

-I like to sit by you

-You are funny

-You are cool!

-You are swell

-I think you're pretty

-You are great at sports

-Thanks for being my friend!

& my personal favorite- Yo, Yo, Yo, Dude! :)

It just made me stop to think that this is what this holiday is really about celebrating all those in our lives that we like & care about.  I'm so happy to know that my girls can find at least one thing that they like or admire in each of their 23 kids in their 3rd grade class. It makes me what to be more positive & focus on every ones good points, talents & be sure to let them know that.

Something to think about & try to do today.

{I'm off to decorate & serve refreshments at the Middle School Valentines Dance. Should have taken a picture of Miss Mace all dressed up this morning, she looked so cute!}

Love,  {M}

Cookies!!

2.13.11

 What would Valentines Day be without heart shaped sugar cookies? Oh, I don't even want to think about it.

{We LOVE them in our family & make them each year}

I have the best recipe that I have used for years

{from Martha of coarse}  they are so tasty. 

I send one up to my Grandma Hall every year {she's 92} because she loves them so much.

However she does not like how much I spend on postage to mail her cookie up to her ;) 

Sugar Cookies

4 C. Flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 {2 sticks} butter

2 C. Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Lemon Juice 

  With an electric mixer, cream together butter & sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs.  Add flour, salt, and baking powder to the butter mixture. Stir in vanilla & lemon juice.  Wrap dough in plastic & chill for 30 min. Heat oven to 325 & on a floured surface roll the dough to a 1/4 " thickness & cut into desired cookie cutter shape. transfer to an ungreased baking sheet & bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are brown.

 

So glad that my girls love to bake as much as I do. Just to let you how much we enjoy making sugar cookies around here we have a drawer, in the kitchen island,  specially devoted & used to hold cookie cutters of all shapes & sizes. 

The day after Christmas the 1st question my girls seem to ask is,"When is Valentines Day?"  They look forward to all the fun things we get to do as a family. One of them being making sugar cookies & surprising a few of our neighbors & friends.  The girls spend the day cutting out paper hearts & plotting who we are secretly going to take sugar cookies too & stick all of the paper hearts on their doors- knock & run away. 

{We have been doing this for years & have never been caught once. Close a few times but never caught in the act!}

My favorite part about doing this as a family is when we get done {we try to do 3 houses}the girls are so excited that we usually end up doing another 2 or 3 homes. 

-Em & Mace cutting out paper hearts-

{We have to double the sugar cookie recipe!}



We love to drive around the day after & see all the hearts on the doors of our friends. So happy to have these wonderful memories with my family of giving & sharing love with the people who we get to live around.

Happy baking!

{M}