You're Invited: Caposaldo Wine Girl's Night Twitter Party

Who likes to party? I know I'm not the only one!

Love a delicious glass of wine after a long, hard day?

Love being pampered and enjoying a little girl talk in the process?

Today's discussion and the discussion on Wednesday are sponsored by One2One Network and Caposaldo Wines, regardless all opinions expressed  are my own.

Go ahead and grab your planner + pencil in GIRL's NIGHT IN
on Wednesday, September 16th at 9pm EST.
It's going to be so much fun!

Now that you've added the event to your calendar, I'm guessing you want all the details on this upcoming shindig - This fantastic little girl's night in is actually going to be a twitter party with Caposaldo Wines, Kendall Rayburn, and myself.

Don't forget to RSVP for the event so you have the chance to win 1 of 6 $50 gift cards or 1 of 4 of the Grand Prize Home Spa/ Girls Night Packages!

That means that you'll want to have a nice, adult-sized glass of Caposaldo wine ready for Wednesday evening (find a bottle in your area with their store locator) as well as your prettiest party dress or your comfiest night gown! Since Caposaldo is the benchmark of Italian wines and comes in all of your favorite varieties, I promise you won't be disappointed in the spirits and Kendall and I will supply all the girl talk fun - this is a twitter party you won't want to miss!

While we have a ton of fun planned, I suggest you add some throwback tunes, a comfy couch, and your favorite finger foods to the mix as well. I'll be honest and reveal that I'll definitely be sitting back on my couch listening to the Spice Girls in my comfiest night gown with all my favorite foods and, of course, a nice glass of the delicious bubbly Caposaldo Sweet Sparkling Peach!


I literally can't wait to share all the fun Kendall, Caposaldo, and I have been planning! It's going to be a blast! So I'll "see" you Wednesday, with my wine glass and my cell phone in hand!

When: 9/16/15 at 9pm EST
Where: Twitter under the #Caposaldo hashtag
Who: Kendall Rayburn, Caposaldo Wine, and Yours Truly
Prizes: 6 $50 Am Ex Gift Cards and 4 Grand Prize Home Spa / Girls Night Packages
Must be a US resident to win!

Click here to RSVP!

Find The Perfect Gift with Best Buy Gift Ideas + Wish Lists!

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

There's just something so special about celebrating birthdays with my loved ones! Ranging from making a cross country trip to attend my adorable niece's 2nd birthday party to planning a kayaking adventure for my husband's upcoming birthday, I'm all about doing things in a big way to help celebrate the people I love so dearly and their date of birth! I don't just like to just go on epic adventures for birthdays though, I'm also all about giving epic gifts; but as you may know, sometimes that gets hard, especially with a quirky family & group of friends!

So when I heard about Best Buy's Online Gift Experience making online shopping for everyone a little bit easier, I knew I had to check it out. They've made gift giving a breeze, with lists of great birthday items categorized and easy to shop for ‘Him’, ‘Her’, ‘Kids’, and ‘Teens’. Plus, if you are shopping by price point, they even offer lists of gifts in a range of prices from under $25 all the way up to $250+! With gifts like heart rate monitors and coffee machines to fondue sets and the best romantic comedies to date, you are bound to find something for everyone!

Maybe your shopping for the super sophisticated techie in your life that has everything already...? Best Buy even has a category for that person! You can shop their top tech gifts and find the perfect present or send a gift card via mail or e-mail and let the techie in your life find the best birthday gift ever for themselves; the choice is yours and I'm sure the gift will be much appreciated either way!

That's the thing about Best Buy, everyone can find something they just have to get their hands on!  Now that I've shared why Best Buy is the best place to shop for any birthday celebration, I'd love to know what you will be adding to your Best Buy wish list?

Go ahead and make a list of all the epic techie stuff you need and let me know what you want the most in the comments below! I may be making my wish list currently; after all, my birthday is only 5 months and 3 weeks away! *snicker*

Let's Talk About Emotions with Inside Out Cupcakes

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InsideOutEmotions #CollectiveBias

Stop for a moment and tell me, how are you feeling today? Are you full of joy? Feeling a little sadness? Possibly even a little red in the face from anger after a tough day? Maybe it's hard to translate how you are feeling at this very moment?

If you really think about it, we have some super complex emotions, so if you are having trouble I don't blame you. Some of us cry when we are happy, a lot of people smile a joyful grin when they are embarrassed, and some people even laugh when they are angry, translating those mixed signals into words is so very difficult at times.

Emotions are a difficult thing to discuss; when we are children we can't quite put our feelings into words and once we are older we are told to keep composure. While it's nice to keep your emotions at bay in some situations, here's some news for the adults holding it all in all the time and the kids learning to express themselves: all emotions are normal and it's healthy for us to express ourselves.

While I'm not an expert on the expression of emotions, I will be the first to admit I wear my heart on my sleeve. I am passionate and feel everything deeply so not sharing how I'm feeling is abnormal for me. 

After seeing Inside Out recently, I'm a huge fan of the movie and just have to share my joy! I love that the characters in the movie make relating our emotions to situations so incredibly easy. It's like a guide book for kids to learn to express themselves in an emotionally healthy way, while still having plenty of humor for adults to get a real chuckle.

In celebration of all the joy I'm feeling about Inside Out, I decided to make a rainbow of Inside Out cupcakes, sharing all of my emotions through baking! I made yellow cupcakes for Joy, blue cupcakes for Sadness, red cupcakes for Anger, purple cupcakes for Fear, and green cupcakes for Disgust! They all each had their own little twist but were made with the same delicious, cake batter recipe.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup oil (vegetable, canola or extra light olive oil)

1/2 cup almond milk with a pinch of lemon juice added (or buttermilk)

Gel food coloring in yellow, blue, red, purple, and green

Frosting:

1 stick of butter
1 tbsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 tbsp of almond milk

 *This recipe yields about 12 cupcakes, I made two batches so I could make plenty of each color.*

Directions-

You'll want to begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir together with whisk, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, add eggs and beat with mixer for about 10 seconds.  Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed about 40 seconds, now add the vanilla and oil, beat for an additional 10 seconds or so.

Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add about a fourth of the flour mixture.  Add about a fourth of the milk, then add another fourth of the flour and another fourth of the milk and so on.  Beat until just combined.

Pour batter into 5 bowls and add desired amount of food coloring. I added a pinch of coconut and lime to the disgust cupcakes, 1 tbsp of cocoa to the anger cupcakes, 1 tsp of lemon extract to the joy cupcakes, and left the fear and sadness cupcakes just plain ol' vanilla for those that like that type of thing. These additions are totally optional but add some fun flavor varities to the cupcakes.

Then pour into a muffin pan prepared with silicone liners or directly into a silicone baking pan.  Fill approximately 2/3 full.

Place in oven and bake for 12-14 minutes. We ate some Inside Out fruit snacks while we waited for our cupcakes... Remove all the cupcakes from the oven once you can stick a toothpick (or fork) into the center and it comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for a minute or two, then remove cupcakes from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.

While your cupcakes are cooling, you can start on your frosting prep! Combine the butter, vanilla, confectioners sugar, and almond milk in a large mixing bowl and mix on high for about a minute or until the frosting is smooth in consistency. Separate the frosting into five bowls again and add desired amount of food coloring and flavors, if you desire.

Once your cupcakes are completely cooled, cut each one in half and add a thick spoonful of frosting to each "top" of the cupcake and place the bottom on top. You want the inside of your cupcake to be the outside, hence their name "Inside Out" cupcakes! 

Add Sprinkles, if you wish and these little emotional cupcakes are ready to serve!

Enjoy!

These Inside Out Cupcakes are like little cupcake sandwiches and are absolutely delicious. The perfect colorful addition to a conversation about emotions or a very happy celebration of any sort! 

Now that I've shared my delicious (and emotional) Inside Out cupcake recipe, I'd love to hear which cupcake you think best represents how you feel on a daily basis...? I'd also love to hear if you've seen Inside Out or if you plan to see this adorable movie? If you want to celebrate seeing the movie in style with all the fun emotions, you can find all kinds of cute plush animals, toys, and more at Walmart!

It's a Fiesta - Have a Delicious Cinco de Mayo with Delimex! #DelimexFiesta

While this recipe and shop have been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, all the love for Mexican food and all of the opinions are mine alone. #DelimexFiesta #CollectiveBias

I'm always up for a party and since Cinco de Mayo is a day of celebration, you better believe we will be celebrating in our home. Sadly, Cinco de Mayo falls right smack dab in the middle of finals week. But since we never turn down a good time, we will still celebrate in style - we just have to keep our festivities short and sweet this year!

By short and sweet, I mean our festivities will still include tasty little Mexican candy, a pinata, some amazing Mexican food, delicious drinks, and maybe even some confetti; everything a Cinco de Mayo get together needs, just scaled down with some studying involved as well. Not exactly a party, but a good time for sure!

After finding a whole freezer full of Delimex deliciousness at Walmart, I knew the perfect way to treat us to some delicious mexican food on-the-fly. With tacos, tamales, and taquitos galore to choose from we finally narrowed down our selection to the beef taquitos, chicken taquitos, and the cheddar and beef rolled tacos!

These taquitos and tacos paired with a guacamole cream sauce that has just the right amount of kick to it, can you imagine a more perfect meal for Cinco de Mayo? Since the taquitos and tacos are ready in just minutes and the dip practically makes itself, I can prepare this cute and festive appetizer quickly and serve it up during study time! Who wants to be my study buddy for my statistics final, any takers?

While you may not want to study statistics with me, I bet you'll want to give this Guacamole Cream Sauce a try. It's the perfect blend of avocado, creaminess, and a kick of spice - I'm sure you and your family will be craving it all the time after you give it a try!

Guacamole Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

3 oz Sour Cream

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup onion

1 tbsp garlic

1/8 tsp chipotle powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp white pepper

1/2 lime

1/4 cup tomato

2 avocados

Want to make this delicious cream sauce for your family? The recipe is so simple!

Rinse and dice all veggies. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy! Top with a bit of cilantro and you're all set!

ENJOY!

Our Delimex choices didn't disappoint during our initial taste test and dipped in my homemade guacamole cream sauce, these little babies will make the perfect treat on Cinco de Mayo and maybe even be what's on the menu for dinner tonight as well! Taco Tuesday, anyone? I suggest you check out all of these delicious recipes, I'd love to know which one you plan on fixing up first?

Brunch + A Sparkling Lemonade Bar - Pour More Fun with Country Time Lemonade Starters

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. The serious love for lemonade is all mine, as well as opinions expressed below. #PourMoreFun #CollectiveBias

Who else is excited about spring?

I know, I know... I've been going on and on about the season change and how much I love spring time, but I'm a huge fan of warm weather... and there's a slight possibility I'm counting down the days until summer break! I can't wait to sit back on the patio with a glass of lemonade and a good book while absorbing some vitamin D, without the worry of school!

Another thing I look forward to this summer is having little parties on my patio. While I'm longing for the hot, fun summer nights, I'm glad I had the chance to organize a small brunch time get-together this weekend and we were able to celebrate the holiday weekend in style.

I was lucky enough to be at Wal-Mart while they were hosting a demo for Country Time Lemonade Starters and I just fell in love with the way the pink lemonade tasted! I knew it had to be included in my brunch menu the second the first sip hit my lips!

I also knew I had to jazz up the lemonade with my own touch, I just wasn't sure how... then I saw flavored water on an end cap just a few aisles away from the free lemonade sample. Then that's when it happened, I decided to make a Sparkling Lemonade Bar.

Instead of opting for the standard mimosa bar, this weekend we chose to offer something a little more family friendly during brunch and served up a Sparkling Lemonade bar! Boy, the concoctions we put together  are not only delicious but absolutely beautiful... I mean what's not to love about a "sparkling" drink?

Need more reasons to love this spring (and summer) time favorite? You'll be glad to know it's super easy to make (just add water), flavored with real lemon juice, and contains 50% less sugar than leading regular sodas! What more could a girl ask for?

This tasty treat comes in three flavors you'll definitely want to stock up on: Classic Lemonade, Berry Lemonade, and lastly Half Lemonade & Half Iced Tea.

As I mentioned, I combined my lemonade with flavored water to create a beautiful sparkling lemonade, this pairing of two of my favorites is mind-blowingly good and the perfect beverage to enjoy on a warm, spring day.

I'm going to simply break down each drink, so that you'll know exactly how I mixed each beverage together.

Just a little side note: You should probably ask yours guests to gather around and help you prepare the bottles, since it looks SO beautiful being poured! I took pictures while hubby poured and I oooohhhhh'd and ahhhhhhh'd as I watched the Berry lemonade pour into the pineapple coconut water, such a sight to see... Sparkling lemonade is some pretty neat stuff, isn't it?

The Sparkling Lemonade Bar Drink Selections:

Cactus-Lime Lemonade
(Country Time Classic Lemonade Starter + Cactus-Lime Water + Lemon Slices)

Berry Tropical Lemonade
(Country Time Berry Lemonade Starter + Pineapple Coconut Water)

Strawberry Lemonade
(Country Time Classic Lemonade Starter  + Strawberry Water + Fresh Strawberries)

Raspberry Palmers 
(Country Time 1/2 Lemonade  & 1/2 Iced Tea Starter  + Raspberry Water + Lemon Slices)

I decorated my Sparkling Lemonade Bar with a few other fun items including "sparkling straws", an adorable sparkling lemonade themed printable (you can download it for free here), shimmering white tulips, and sprinkle dusted cupcakes with butterfly gummy accents! I also used ribbon, clothespins, and paint swatches to make a bunting banner that matches my set up perfectly. That's all you need for the perfect brunch set up!

You know what they say: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade that sparkles... or something like that! So while I'm in the midst of a million projects for the blog, planning holiday festivities, preparing and prepping our meal plans, applying for school next semester, organizing taxes, getting ready for our trip to the midwest next month, and working on homework, it was nice to drop everything for a little bit and enjoy a glass (or two - okay, maybe three) of sparkling lemonade.

While this little brunch lemonade shindig was a blast, I can't wait to sip on this lemonade all through out the summer on my patio with friends and family enjoying our time together. I'll definitely be making the Raspberry Palmers again as well, they were a HIT!

I'd love to know, What spring (and summer) activities are you excited about? I think your activities should include a delicious glass of sparkling lemonade or two, you won't regret it!

The Perfect {Light} Cocktail

This St. Patty's Day I wanted to have a beverage that made me feel good but didn't have an overload of calories or sugar. While I was walking through the liquor store I had a few ideas but when I noticed they had a new coconut flavored vodka, I was all over that nonsense... This drink was what I sipped on while running through the streets of New Orleans, a tasty and light beverage that keeps you hydrated while also allowing you to get a buzz - what more could you ask for?

This tasty treat is the best way to celebrate spring nights on the patio or summer days on the beach. Perfect for those that like girly drinks but don't want all the calories and sugar from fruit juices.

To make this drink, all you'll need is sparkling flavored water and coconut vodka. Garnish with some fruit if you like and sip, sip, sip until your hearts content!

I'd love to know, what's your favorite light and tasty drink?

Celebrate The Chinese New Year with Random Acts of Kindness + Tai Pei® Restaurant Inspired Appetizers

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NewYearFortune #CollectiveBias

I literally thrive on sharing fun ways to make everyday better and today I'm sharing how I plan to celebrate The Chinese New Year with random acts of kindness and delicious appetizers from Tai Pei®.

While I'm no authority on Chinese New Year, I have been a part of a few celebrations and been lucky enough to be handed a red envelope. You may be thinking I'm speaking in code, if you aren't aware of this tradition, but a red envelope is a customary gift around this time of year. It's typically stuffed with $$$ and symbolizes good luck and prosperity in the coming year. Chinese New Year as a whole is a giant celebration, that celebrates the wish of "good fortune". What could be better than spreading that good fortune around my community?

This year, I wanted to spread the tradition of the red envelopes to those that may not know about it while also spreading some joy. I could have given these red envelopes intentionally, which I believe is the tradition. But I really wanted fate to find someone to bless with good luck and prosperity and so I decided to hide them in random places all over town - from the picnic tables at my favorite park to the little freebie "take-one-leave-one" library at my favorite beach,my Chinese New Year cheer can be found all over town.

While hiding the envelopes was fun, I had even more fun stuffing them. Choosing an appetizer was super easy, I browsed the aisles at Wal-Mart and as soon as I saw Tai Pei's® selection of egg rolls and spring rolls, I knew exactly what to make while embracing the celebration at home.

Tai Pei® has so many varieties (with chicken, pork, shrimp, and vegetable options available) it was hard to choose. I ended up narrowing it down to the chicken egg rolls and veggie spring rolls! Both were so good, I'll definitely be going back soon to grab some other options.

Within minutes, I had perfectly crispy and delicious egg rolls stuffed with the most amazing chicken I've ever tasted and spring rolls with fresh veggies stuffed inside. While these Tai Pei® apps are restaurant inspired, they are more authentic and delicious than anything I've ever ordered from take-out... I couldn't stop snacking on them, especially with the sweet sauce that comes with them. So incredibly delicious and all I had to do was place them on a baking sheet and bake them for a bit... the perfect treat!

There are several amazing traditions involved in the Chinese New Year that I would love to take part in, events like Lantern Day and the fact that everyone celebrates growing another year older as a national birthday celebration of sorts... but one tradition I really hope becomes part of America's mainstream culture is sharing red envelopes, especially with children. While the amount inside an envelope isn't the important part of giving, it's the meaning behind the envelopes that makes the tradition so fun.

Hubs and I have already decided that sharing red envelopes with our community and hopefully bringing good fortune to strangers is going to be part of our Chinese New Year celebration every year, as well as Tai Pei's® egg rolls and spring rolls! Tai Pei® is Good Fortune in Every Box™ and every bite!

Don't miss your chance to save on some delicious,authentic apps in celebration of the Chinese New Year. Head on over to the Tai Pei® Facebook page and check out The Red Envelope tab for a coupon (available for a limited time, while supplies last).

Stay Connected with Tai Pei®: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

If you live in my area, be sure to keep an eye out for the envelopes! :) You never know where you'll find good fortune!