Disney Name Tag

Hello friends! As I said in my update, recently I've become obsessed with the future, specifically marriage and kids. I've spent a lot of time on YouTube watching baby name tags, which is basically just people talking about their favorite names or answering different name-related questions. I've answered all those and might put them up later, but the one I'm most excited about is one I've created and am debuting here: the Disney Name Tag. I love Disney and names, so this seemed like a given. Let's get started!

Disney Name Tag

1. Top 3 (non-princess) Disney girls’ names?

Ellie (The Rescuers), Esme (Esmerelda // The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Evangeline (The Princess and the Frog)

 2. Top 3 (non-prince) Disney boys’ names?

David (Lilo & Stitch), Elliott (Pete’s Dragon), Luke (The Rescuers)

3. Top 3 sequel (or beyond) names?

G: Colette (Lady and the Tramp II), Madellaine (The Hunchback of Notre Dame II), Ruby  (Lady and the Tramp II) 

B: Edward (Return to Neverland), Ron (Ronno // Bambi II), Max (Uncle Max // The Lion King 1 ½)

 

4. Top 3 Disney-Pixar names?

G: Bailey (Finding Dory), Colette (Ratatouille), Elinor (Brave) 

B: Arlo (The Good Dinosaur), Charles (Up), James (James P. Sullivan // Monsters, Inc.)

 

5. Top 3 prince/princess names?

Prince: Flynn (Tangled), Kristoff (Frozen), Edward (Enchanted)

Princess: Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Elsa (Frozen), Tiana (The Princess and the Frog)

 

6. Favorite villain names?

G: Sarah (Aunt Sarah // Lady and the Tramp)

B: Edgar (The Aristocats)

 

7. Name twins (any sex) with names from one movie.

GG: Mia & Charlotte (The Princess Diaries), Violet & Kari (The Incredibles)

BB: John & Michael (Peter Pan), Kristoff & Oaken (Frozen)

GB: Ellen & Michael (Mary Poppins), Lucy & Peter (The Chronicles of Narnia)

 

8. Name three kids with all Disney animal names.

G: Grace (Home on the Range), Kiara (The Lion King II), Sarafina (The Lion King)

B: Louis (King Louie // The Jungle Book), Maximus (Tangled), Oliver (Oliver & Co.)

 

9.Name four kids (any sex) with any Disney names, but all must start with the same letter.

GGGG: Elinor/Ellie (Brave/The Rescuers), Elsa (Frozen), Esme (Esmerelda // The Hunchback of Dame), Evangeline/Evie (The Princess and the Frog/Wall.e // EVE)

BBBB: Oaken (Frozen), Oliver (Oliver & Co.), Orville (The Rescuers), Otto (Robin Hood)

GGBB: Madellaine (The Hunchback of Notre Dame II), Mia (The Princess Diaries), Max (Uncle Max // The Lion King 1 ½), Michael (Peter Pan/Mary Poppins)

GBBB: Lucy (The Chronicles of Narnia), Lawrence (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Louis (King Louie // The Jungle Book), Luke (The Rescuers)

GGGB: Charlotte (The Princess Diaries), Clarabelle (Home on the Range), Colette (Lady and the Tramp II), Charles (Up)

 

10. Name three kids with any first name and Disney middle names ending in vowel sounds.

G: Victoria Esme (Esmerelda // The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Brooklyn Kari (The Incredibles), Charlotte Ruby (Lady and the Tramp II)

B: Michael Henry (The Princess and the Frog), Andrew Joshua (Atlantis: The Lost Empire), Oliver Wesley (Home on the Range)

 I wish you all the best,
Erin

Honey, I'm Home!

Hello friends! Holy cow, where have I been? Let's start at the beginning:

In December, I moved out of my dorm (yay!) and back home. Five days later, I went to Florida, and then came back two days before Christmas. After Christmas, I was kind of in a rut, not knowing what I wanted to do both in my life and here, but I think I have that all sorted out, so stick with me.

I was off for most of January, and I spent a lot of time by myself, trying to figure things out. This past moth has been all adjustment, as I started at my new school. Commuting is a pain, and when I finally started thinking about starting the blog back up, I was just tired and trying to figure out some sort of schedule.

So here we are, three months later. I'm still going to do posts as I have before, DIYs, recipes, etc., but I'm expanding some areas and downsizing others. As far as downsizing, I want to get away from monthly favorites because I just don't have enough to fill up a whole post. But as far as expanding, I have ideas I've been hanging onto since September, like how I deal with anxiety, more Picture Perfect and Sweet Spot (coming very soon). And then I have some new things I'm introducing! Over the past few months, I've become obsessed with what's coming next in life, specifically getting married and having kids. I'm nowhere near either of these, but I think it's so fun to think about. So I have a few ideas that are almost expansions of all my fantasy Pinterest boards, and I'll be putting them in post form.

I wish you all the best,
Erin

Bath & Body Works Haul

Hello friends! I recently did some shopping online and found myself on Bath & Body Works' site. Here's the damage:

I don't know the name of this collection, but I'll leave the names and notes for each one shown. (All hand soaps are the deep cleansing soap.)

• Orchard Frost The sparkling scent of frosted apples & winter sunlight
• Winter Wonderland Capture the wonder of the season with winter berries, snowy vanilla & crystallized ginger
• Fresh Sparkling Snow The crisp scent of icy pear & melon frosted with winter musk
• Frosted Cranberry A cool treat of frosted cranberries sprinkled with iced peach

 

These are from the Holiday Traditions collection:

• Merry Cookie Indulge in the scent of buttery sugar cookies iced with vanilla bourbon frosting
• Jingle All The Way A merry blend of iced clementine, sparkling snowflakes & blue spruce
• Winter Candy Apple Indulge in an irresistible blend of red apple, winter rose petals, candied orange & fresh cinnamon

 

 

 

The next three are travel size (3 oz.) shower gels in the regular scents:

• Wild Madagascar Vanilla Intoxicating Madagascar vanilla layered with African pear, wild jasmine & white sandalwood
• A Thousand Wishes A festive blend of sparkling champagne, crystal peonies & almond crème
• Cashmere Glow The warmth of vanilla & golden peach layered with luxurious cashmere musk   



 

 

The last things are the PocketBacs:

• Frosted Cranberry A cool treat of frosted cranberries sprinkled with iced peach
• Tea Time Shortbread A lovely London treat of golden shortbread , candied bing cherries & toasted almonds
• Shimmer & Champagne Cheers to a special glitter edition! A blend of golden champagne & shimmering sugar crystals
• Big Apple Sparkler Celebrate New York with the scent of winter apple, golden pear & white woods
•  A Thousand Wishes A festive blend of sparkling champagne, crystal peonies & almond crème

 

 

I wish you all the best,

Erin

November Favorites

Hello friends! The end of the month is once again upon us... Let's jump right in!

• Favorite Store: Bath & Body Works Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year, and Bath & Body has all my favorite scents of the season.
• Favorite Article of Clothing: Sweater Leggings These are new for me, but I adore them. They are the coziest things and are essentially socially acceptable, chic pajamas.
• Favorite Shoes: Boots 'Tis the season for boots all the time, and it's a trend I will happily wear.
• Favorite Skincare/Beauty Products: Carmex Ultra Moisturizing Lipbalm (Vanilla) & Covergirl Lashblast Fusion Mascara I'm obsessed with anything that makes my lips soft, and the Carmex lipbalm is a long time favorite. The mascara is just great at adding volume and length without getting clumpy, which is always a plus.
• Favorite Smelly Item: Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black Perfume I recently ordered a perfume sampler from Sephora, and this is my favorite. It smells incredible.
• Favorite Music: Pentatonix's "That's Christmas to Me" Delux Album / "Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical" Soundtrack Christmas being my favorite season and Pentatonix being my favorite artists, this was a match made in heaven. And I recently saw a production of "Beauty and the Beast" and fell in love with the music.
• Favorite App: Disney World I'm going to Disney in a few weeks, and this app gives wait times for rides, where to find characters, get FastPasses, order tickets, make restaurant reservations, and so much more.
• Favorite Activity: Seeing "Beauty and the Beast" I went with a friend back to our high school to see the show, and it was great.
• Favorite Food & Drink: Keebler Club & Cheddar Sandwich Crackers & Starbucks Chestnut Praline Hot Chocolate I love all cracker snacks and these are tops; I'm sure my love of Starbucks is apparent by now, and I wait all year for the holiday flavors (I put them all in hot chocolate because I don't do hot coffee).
• Bonus Favorite: Thanksgiving & Decorating for Christmas I love the holiday season. My family came over for Thanksgiving (I'd like to add all that food to my favorites, as well), which is always fun, and it's tradition that my immediate family stay home on Black Friday to decorate for Christmas. And then watch "Elf" because it's a classic.

*Again, I  apologize for the lack of pictures, but rest assured that I have some fun picture-filled posts coming up.

I wish you all the best,
Erin

My Thanksgiving Traditions & Giving Thanks

Hello friends! This week is Thanksgiving so I thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on the things I'm most thankful for and tell you how my family celebrates this wonderful holiday.

Thanksgiving is big in my family - everyone comes over, there's enough food to feed an army, so on and so forth. It all starts about 5am in my house, with my mom cooking away, and I join her shortly after. We watch the Macy's parade as we cook, and before long, people are at our door. Then the fun ensues: lots of laughing, food on food on food, and the annual Wii Bowling Tournament. Really it's just about being together, and I love more than anything. It will always mean so much to me.

I had seen on Pinterest a "52 Things I'm Grateful For" tag-type thing that I assume is for Instagram, but the point is to post a picture to fit each week's category for a year. I'll never remember to do that for a year, so I figured I'd share them all here at once and throw in a few pictures where they fit:

1. Why start this challenge? Because it's Thanksgiving, thank you very much.
2. Spouse/significant other I don't have one; I'm enjoying being me, for me.
3. Family I don't want to show them because they may not want to be on the Internet but
    trust me, they're the best bunch of weirdos I've ever met.
4. A family member My mom is an angel. I love her to pieces.
5. Something someone gave you When I was little my grandma gave me a giant teddy bear
    before she passed away. It still sits on my bedroom floor.
6. The city you live in For privacy I will not be divulging that one, but again, it's the best
    in my humble opinion.
7. A friend My cousin is three years younger than me and she is my other half. No one has
    seen me like she has and I love her.
8. Express gratitude to 3 people Thank you to my junior year English teacher for
    teaching me how to write a kick-butt paper, my best friends for always giving me a
    bright side to see, and of course my family, to whom I owe everything.
9. How did you do and feel? I'm guessing this is in reference to #8, but these people all
    know and have know for a long time, so it was reaffirming to the universe what
    already exists.
10. List 5 things you like about you I like my eyes, my strength, my mom-like nature, my
      passion and drive, and my baking skills.
11. Someone who inspires you Once again, my mom. She's Super Woman if there ever was
      one, and I can only hope to be like her some day.
12. Your favorite personality trait In myself, my quick wit. In others, compassion.
13. A challenge you've overcome College. Sort of. We're getting there. *shameless plug
      for my college post*



14. A talent you have I'm uber crafty, so I can make just about anything.
15. Things you like about spring I like the rainy days, Easter, and that feeling that
      something good is about to happen that's in the air all season long.
16. Simple things in life Photo albums, warm blankets and candles on cold nights,
      watching recorded TV shows with my family... I could go on and on.
17. Something you take for granted I try not to take anything for granted, but I know I
      take my family for granted more than I should.
18. The weather It's chilly and supposed to rain tonight.
19. Health I got some stitches out last week, so other than that I'm pretty good.
20. Another friend My best friend from high school. Yet another person I love to pieces.
21. Things you like about summer I like the Fourth of July, all the family birthdays, and
      the anticipation for school in August.
22. Something you use every day The easiest thing to say is my phone. Especially because
      I'm still not home (though I'm counting down the days) it's my lifeline to the people I
      love while I'm away.
23. Favorite physical trait Eyes. They say a lot more than the mouth ever could.
24. A book you learned from  The Magic Tree House series. Every story took place in a
      different time period or setting.
25. Education College freshman
26. Someone you got to meet I met two Broadway stars two summers ago with my a
      cappella choir. We were singing for a PR event and they were there, of course.
27. Favorite spot in your city There are so many, but I love little coffee shops (or 
      Starbucks) that are tucked away from the business right outside.



28. Your past I was a very happy kid, but didn't have any friends until high school, so most
      of my childhood was spent with my family, and I'm not complaining. High school was a
      blast, and college kind of sucks so far, but I'm working on it. I give life a thumbs up.
29. Your favorite memory There are too many to pick just one, but my trip to Ireland
      came to mind pretty quickly.



30. Your current age 19
31. Core value Honesty. If you can be honest, everything else flows from that.
32. A city you've visited New Buffalo, Michigan



33. Something you look forward to I always look forward to the holiday season in general,
      but my family is going to Florida before Christmas and I'm beyond excited.
34. Things you like about fall My birthday borders on summer and fall, and then there's
      Halloween, Thanksgiving, cozy sweaters, boots...
35. Your neighborhood Changing, but still feels like home.
36. Your home My best memories are in those walls, and everything about it is perfect in
      my eyes.
37. Something you created Recently I've been into arm knitting, so I've been making a lot
      of scarves.
38. Music you love I love Christmas music (I'm listening to it as I write this), a cappella
      music, some pop songs, and showtunes.
39. Your heritage I'm all kinds of European (Polish, Irish, Welsh, pretty much everything).
40. Greatest accomplishment High school was full of accomplishments I'm proud of, but I
      received an award that was essentially the "right-hand man" award of our fine arts
      department, which meant a lot.
41. Hobbies Singing, baking, crafting, etc. I'm basically a Disney house wife.
42. Your favorite possession This one's hard. I have photos everywhere and I love them,
      and I also have a necklace and ring make of the rose petals from each of my
      grandmothers' funerals. It's like I always have them with me.
43. A mentor/teacher Are you sick of hearing about my mom yet? Because it's her. Again.
44. Your favorite holiday I love the simplicity of Thanksgiving - no focus on the presents of
      Christmas, but I adore Christmas as much as Buddy the Elf, if not more.
45. What you do for fun Well I'm a grandma in a young adult's body, so I bake, knit, meet
      friends at old-timey soda fountains, etc.
46. Technology I'm not sure what this means, so I guess I'll say what I like about it. I like
      how it has the power to connect people who wouldn't have a way to connect
      otherwise.
47. Opportunities you've been given There are so many and I'm grateful for all of them.
      My a cappella group sang everywhere - Ireland, the local news and radio, a
      Broadway PR event... Just to name a few.
48. Your job I was just hired at a local bakery.
49. Things you like about winter I'm one of those odd beings who loves winter. I love the
      snow, festive Starbucks drinks, and feeling warm and fuzzy all season long. And
      Christmas. I love Christmas.







50. Lessons learned this year You are in charge of your own life and nobody can control
      that, and the people who are meant to be in your life will stay in it despite changes
      that may come.
51. 100 Things to be thankful for Oh goodness. We have to be close with the first 50.
52. Did that challenge change you? I don't know if it changed me, but it definitely gave me
      the chance to reflect on the things that I often overlook.

I wish you all the best,
Erin

PS: If you made it to the end of that, you're the real champ and I'm thankful for you, too.

My 10 Favorite Life Hacks

Hello friends! I've rounded up all of my favorite life hacks to share with you, because who doesn't want to make life easier? Here are my favorites:

1. Mitten clips for wearing boots - All you do is take some kids' mitten clips and attach them to the legs of your pants (under your heel) to keep your pants inside low-cut booties. Simple as that!

2. Panty liners to prevent sweat spots - I'm always super paranoid about sweat stains showing through my shirts, so I take the ultra-thin panty liners and stick them to the inside of my shirt under the arms. Works like a charm.

3. Flat ironing wrinkles - I hate ironing, specifically because it takes longer to drag out the ironing board and heat up the iron than it does to iron the clothes. I use quite a few ironing hacks (throwing clothes in the dryer with a damp washcloth, hanging the clothes in the bathroom to steam while I shower, having a mini steamer on hand), but my favorite is using my flat iron. I just plug it in when I'm getting ready and iron out any wrinkles. Easy peasy.

4. Dry shampoo at night - I always use dry shampoo at night before I throw my hair in a braid for bed. It gives the powder ample time to soak up oils as they're produced, so your hair is nice and fresh in the morning. And as an added bonus, the braid minimizes tangles and gives some texture for the next 'do.

5. Conditioner as shaving cream - Pretty self-explanatory, but using conditioner as shaving cream makes your skin super soft. It's also one less product to buy on your Target run.

6. Preset everything before bed - I always set out my outfit and whatever I need to get ready in the morning before bed. It's a no-brainer, but awesome when you're half-asleep in the morning. No thought required.

7. Coffee creamer in hot chocolate - I'm not a hot coffee drinker, but I love holiday drinks as much as the next girl. I add a splash of flavored creamer to hot chocolate when I make it at home (gingerbread hot chocolate changed my life), and most places are happy to add a pump of flavoring to any drink you order.

8. Jammies in the dryer - Tale as old as time, I love putting my pajamas in the dryer on cold nights. There's nothing better.

9. Breakfast on the go - I can't function without breakfast, but making it every day is a pain. So on Sundays, I'll make a frittata (a giant egg pancake with all your favorites packed inside), and I cut it into circles the size of an English muffin. Come morning, I pop the baby frittata in the microwave, the English muffin in the toaster, and boom. Breakfast sandwich.

10. Emergency purse kit - I'm the mom of my friend group, so I'm required to have any and everything needed for minor emergencies. I always have tissues, ibuprofen, Vaseline (for dry hands and lips, and doubles as temporary Neosporin), tampons, cough drops, etc. for anyone who needs them. I just keep them in a travel makeup bag and pop them in whatever bag I'm taking with me.

I wish you all the best,
Erin

Sweet Spot: Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Hello friends! Today I have another recipe I made for dinner a few weeks back. My family is always going in different directions, so quick and easy dinners are our go-to. The problem is, quick and easy can become kind of monotonous. When I saw this on Pinterest, I thought it would be the perfect addition to our recipe arsenal.

The Lineup:
     2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
     1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
     Garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper (to taste)
     1/4 cup steak sauce
     1 cup beef stock
     2 tbsp. butter
     2 tbsp. flour
     1 cup 2% milk
     1 cup provolone cheese, shredded (I used provolone & mozzarella)
     1 medium yellow onion, chopped
     1 green bell pepper, chopped
     4 buns or rolls, split in half*

The Play-by-Play:
     1. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large pan. Add ground beef and cook thoroughly, making sure
         meat is crumbled. Season to taste with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and
         pepper.
     2. Add steak sauce and beef stock to ground beef. Bring to a bubble and cook about 2
         minutes.
     3. In a separate saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour. Cook about 1 minute until
         thickened.
     4. Slowly whisk in milk to butter and flour, bringing to a bubble.
     5. Stir in cheese, mixing until melted. Remove from heat.
     6. In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil. Add peppers and onions, seasoning with salt and
         pepper to taste, cooking until onions are caramelized.
    *7. To bring sandwiches to the next level, split buns in half, lightly brush with oil, and
         season. Put under oven broiler or grill, watching carefully, until crisp and warm.
     8. Assemble sandwiches. Enjoy!

Quick Play:
The original recipe calls for onions in the ground beef, and has nothing about bell peppers. To keep the sandwiches more like Philly cheesesteaks, I decided to sauté the peppers and onions to top the sandwiches.

*Note: I completely forgot to take pictures of the finished product. The whole process went smoothly until I burnt the buns because they were on the lower rack of my oven (upon which everything burns), and then they spilled into my sink of dirty dishes because my hand was burning through my oven mitt. It was a very eventful 30 seconds, but the sandwiches were still great.

The Playmaker: http://joandsue.blogspot.ca/2012/07/philly-cheesesteak-sloppy-joes.html

I wish you all the best,
Erin