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!

How to "Clean" a Home in a Hurry: How I Make Sure My Home Looks & #SmellsClean

So, spring cleaning is something we've all been working on over the last few weeks...right? While I'm doing my best to keep our house tidy, it's just not happening lately. I've been trying to tidy up in between class and having to work on upcoming projects and tons of homework but right now the house is uhm, a little less than clean.

The good news is I know what it takes to make my house "clean" in a hurry. I'm not just saying you should start stuffing laundry into your closet, which I've done (even as an adult); Don't judge me! But I am sharing how I tidy up my home in a hurry when I have unexpected guests phone that they are on their way.

Whether you are a professional "quick cleaner" or you like to keep an organized and tidy house all the time, today I am going to help you out by sharing a few ways you can make your house look, feel, and smell clean without much effort.

Looks Clean after you tidy up the three T's. Clean off your table tops, scrub your toilets, and sweep (or vacuum) the areas of your flooring that have high traffic.

We're all guilty of stacking magazines, mail, or sometimes just junk around the house - clean that stuff off of your table tops and you'll notice a huge difference!

Scrubbing your toilets is super important. When a guest uses your restroom, you definitely don't want them to get grossed out. This simple step only takes a few seconds but can completely change the way your restroom looks to your guest.

Sweeping or Vacuuming your entry way, kitchen, and living room only takes a few minutes for most people and it makes a huge difference (especially for those with kiddies or pets)! While vacuuming your whole house should definitely be on your to-do list.

As we all know, a house isn't really clean until it #SmellsClean. While your home (hopefully) has a clean scent already, I like to use some amazing products that help to make my house smell ridiculously good!

I've been burning my Peach Daiquiri candle from 719 Walnut religiously lately. Especially because I'm so busy that I haven't been able to indulge in a whole lot of beach days or daiquiris; while this candle isn't the exact same experience, it helps me feel a little closer to my favorite place in the world! I can only imagine what the Tahitian Escape or Tiki Colada scents smell like, but those are definitely on my list to buy next!

Placing candles in your office is the answer to a cleaner smelling home in general: Whether you decide to inspire creativity with a new candle in your office (like Glade's new perfectly colored and scented Poppy Grove candle), or comfort yourself in your bedroom with a candle offering a soothing scent to help relax you before drifting off to dreamland, or even if you decide to mask smelly scents in your kitchen with something delicious and deceiving, candles are an awesome way to make sure your house smells clean without much effort at all!


While I've always been an avid candle burner and hold true to my candle burning ways, this spring I've also started using plug-ins around the house and I highly recommend you do the same! I'm totally obsessed with the scents I've been using!

One of the plug-ins is a Febreeze NOTICEables Warmer and it offers a sense-exciting double scent of  Strawberry and Fig and makes my half-bath in the lower level of our townhouse smell beyond amazing.

The other plug-in is AirWick's Sunshine Cotton and literally makes my entryway smell like a mixture of heaven and freshly laundered clothes!

While both of these options are awesome, my last tip may be the easiest of them all. You literally only need to flick a switch and place a cube into the tray to make your house smell clean with these Glade Poppy Grove Wax Melts!

While I'm not suggesting you skip spring cleaning in general, I hope these tips to spruce your place up in a hurry help you out! I had friends share what they thought of our house, they all agree it smells clean... so don't forget to head over to the air care aisle to grab everything you'll need for a nice, deceivingly clean home!

Did you notice the adorable printables in my post? Be sure to grab those for FREE in an 8x10 size, just click on the image below:

Smells Clean Printable


Last Night I Dreamed...

Now that I've shared my tips to a tidier house in a hurry and these super cute printables, I'd love to hear what your last minute cleaning routine looks like?

Surprise Inside Easter Clothespin Craft

Who loves surprises? I know I do!

While these little clothespin crafts aren't packed with a huge surprise, they are a super fun way to make something creative this Easter and make little one's giggle! I'm obsessed with how cute these turned out and they might even make me giggle a little bit when I open them up and see the silly hatchling sitting inside the broken egg!

All you'll need for this super simple craft is paper, clothespins, scissors, and markers! I'll be sharing how I made both of these babies in photos today. So if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below!

How to Make a Cute Little Hatching in an Egg:

How to Make an Easter Egg Surprise:

I'd love to know how you plan to use your cute little surprise inside clothespin crafts in your home? Who will you treat to a little giggly surprise?

Hopefully you enjoy your holiday weekend and get to make some cuteness!

The Perfect Better-For-You Snack: Mini Marbled Tapioca Pudding with A Homemade Raspberry Sauce

I'm a pretty big fan of snacking, I mean it's a little ridiculous how much I like chowing down on a tasty snack. You can find me snacking on pretty much anything sweet, spicy, or just simply delicious!

While I love snacking and my list of favorite foods could go on for miles and miles, I'm also trying to lose weight so I have recently started following a meal plan. I'll be sharing more details about the plan once I have worked out what actually works for me, trying different calorie amounts and macros for a few weeks to make sure I'm eating healthy and I'm happy with what I'm eating.

I can't wait to share all the details, but for now I'm sharing my favorite part of my meal plan, I get to eat less, but I'll be eating more. What I mean by that is I'll be eating less during each meal, but I'll also be eating more meals through out the day. This also means that I get to snack. Luckily, I get to snack on delicious, healthy foods!

My favorite snack is a Kozy Shack® Simply Well® Tapioca Pudding made into a delicious little dessert though. Simply Well is only 90-calories, has no sugar added, it's gluten-free, and it's my snack of choice - made into dessert or on it's own, it's simply delicious!

This better-for-you dessert is prepared in a mini mason jar portion size so it's just the right size to satiate your sweets craving without feeling guilty and here's a bonus, it's super easy to make! The only thing that I actually made for this recipe is a super simple raspberry sauce.

While it's a simple addition, it just makes this pudding dessert taste beyond incredible and since it's homemade you get to choose how much added sugar you add to the sauce (if any at all)!

I fixed up a whole batch of these beauties to share with some friends recently and they were all pleasantly surprised to find out this Marbled Tapioca recipe was fairly healthy!

Do you want to try making this super simple dessert at home? Here's the recipe:

Mini Marbled Kozy Shack® Simply Well® Tapioca Pudding
with Raspberry Sauce & Hot Dark Chocolate Sauce

and Cookie Crust



Ingredients:

Kozy Shack® Simply Well® Tapioca Pudding Cups
Frozen Raspberries (thawed)
Sugar (optional)
Hot Dark Chocolate Sauce
Mini Sandwich Cookies
Fat-Free Whipped Topping (optional)

This dessert almost doesn't even need a recipe listed, but I wanted to break it down just in case someone has any questions on how I made this delicious dish.

While you are gathering your ingredients, go ahead and place the frozen raspberries and sugar (in the amount you prefer - I used 1/3 cup) in a sauce pan. Allow it to simmer, stirring occasionally. It'll take about ten minutes to turn into a sauce so we'll come back to this (but don't forget to stir it)!

 Next you'll need to place a few sandwich cookies in your container (I used Mini Mason Jars, you can use a bowl, a ramekin, whatever your heart desires).

Now you'll add the star of the show, the Kozy Shack® Simply Well® Tapioca Pudding. I used 2 1/2 containers of Kozy Shack® to partially fill my mini mason jars, just FYI. Notice I said partially fill, leave a little space if you want to add whipped topping.

Now would be a good time to go ahead and add the Hot Dark Chocolate (after following the prep instructions on the container).

Next you'll want to remove the raspberry sauce from the stove and strain it to remove seeds. Pressing the mixture to make sure you get all the delicious sauce!

Lastly, go ahead and get crazy with the sauce! Pour it everywhere. Top with Whipped Cream and sandwich cookie crumbs and you have a dessert your friends and family will go crazy over!

I like to think of these tasty little desserts as my version of a healthier cheesecake, while the texture isn't the same the taste is even better!

Now that I've shared this delicious recipe, who wouldn’t want a chance to try Kozy Shack® Simply Well® Pudding for themselves? Maybe you don't like Tapioca? They also offer Rice Pudding and Chocolate Pudding! Can you say yummy?!

Luckily, I'm hosting a giveaway for TWO Free Product Coupons! I'd love to hear a fun fact you learned from The KozyShack website! Be sure to enter to win with the giveaway tools form below:

Entry-Form

Enjoy Snacking Simply with Kozy Shack® Simply Well®!

Disclaimer: Must be 18 or older to win. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other company mentioned above. You understand that you are providing your information to Lauren Paints | a beautiful life and not to Twitter, Facebook, or any other entity, I will not use your information other than to e-mail you a winning notification if you are the chosen winner. Enter using the Giveaway Tools form above. Void Where Prohibited. Please note that Lauren Paints | a beautiful life is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.

Cute Little Bunny Clothespin Craft - Perfect for Easter & Springtime

So it's Saturday night and I'm officially painting little bunnies on clothespins. While that may sound silly, these little cuties are just too cute not to share! This super easy craft project is perfect to help celebrate Easter or just spring time in general!

You probably already have everything you'll need to make these little cuties in your house already and since these are so easy to make, get the little ones and have them help you out! You'll just need to grab clothespins, white paint, a black marker, a pink marker, and some coffee to help fuel your creativity (obviously optional, but totally necessary for me). That's all!

You'll begin this simple project by painting your clothespin white.

After the paint has dried, draw on a tiny pink line on each "ear" (the pinch-able part of the clothespin).

Now you'll add the whiskers on with the black marker, with no exactness. You want them to look wispy!

The final step is drawing a little 6 for each eye ball, one the correct the direction and another horizontally flipped.

That's all! Now you have these cute little bunnies to use as you please! I think I'll clip mine onto a bag of delicious treats for a few friends. How will you use your cute little bunny clothespins?

Buying a New Car Without The Drama: Show Cars.com Your #NewCarFace and Win Up to $25,000!

Today's discussion about shopping for a new car
& the possibility of winning up to $25,000 to pay off the car loan is sponsored by Cars.com.

Buying a new car is a little bit like getting engaged, having a baby, adopting a dog, or any other huge commitment that requires some maturity and responsibility. Car shopping is a super exciting time in anyone's life, you are making a serious commitment to a loan and your car, you are required to provide maintenance and upkeep, drive responsibly, etc.  You are embarking on a relationship of sorts when you buy a car. Your car relies on you and you on it, so choosing the right car is important.

While buying a new car tends to be a well-thought out process for most, our recent vehicle purchase included my husband signing the papers and driving it off the lot before I even saw the car. I guess you could say we like to do things on a whim, but buying our Kia Soul was the best thing we have ever done and it was completely drama free... Well, hubby dealt with the drama while I was working, so it was drama-free for me at least (next time we'll use Cars.com to avoid the drama entirely)!

It may sound silly but since this was our first "big purchase" as adults, we both were feeling a bit giddy. He practically jumped out of the car as he pulled up, stumbled over his words as he showed me all the awesome new features, and after I looked the new little cutie over for a while we hopped in and took our first short little trip to the beach. Our car blends into our lives perfectly.

Well, any car would suffice I suppose... but I love our car! Our Kia Soul is cute and it fits who we are and what we like to do. It's a car that we can take with us from beach to beach without worrying about gas mileage, it holds our 13 foot kayak on the rooftop with ease, and this little baby can even go off-roading when we want to spend time doing yoga at our favorite secluded beach spot. What more could this beach bunny ask for?

Whether you are playing "soccer mom" to a house full of kids or roadtripping around the country and exploring what this great nation has to offer, your car is what you rely on to get you where you need to be. When choosing a new car you want something reliable, that's a great deal, that also fits your lifestyle, and Cars.com can help you find that!

Cars.com takes the drama out of the new car shopping experience, helping you breathe a little easier... But I bet you didn't know they are taking the drama out of your car loan as well, by giving away up to $25,000 towards your new car in the #NewCarFace Contest!

You can enter to win The NewCarFace Contest via twitter, instagram, or facebook. You'll simply need to upload a photo of you, your totally awesome new car face, and your new car! I've shared a few examples today and here's one of the hubby practicing yoga with his Soul... haha. Get it?

Be sure to use the hashtag #newcarface and don't forget to tag Cars.com (@CarsDotCom) directly in your post as well! If you are entering via facebook, make a post directly on their facebook wall with the hashtag for your entry to be valid!

What's your New Car Face look like
and will it win you $25,000 to help pay off your new car loan?

And here's some legal stuff: You can only submit one entry during the promotional period. Need to know more about the rules? You can click here to find some inspiration and check out all the details. Open to legal US residents (excluding MD, NJ, & TN), must be 18+ and hold a qualifying vehicle loan or lease. Contest ends 4/17/2015 at 12pm CST. Prize will be valued up to $25k. Subject to the Official Rules, including eligibility criteria, and qualifiying vehicle restrictions. Sponsored by Cars.com, a division of Classified Venture, LLC. Just FYI, a new car is considered a new (or used) car bought or leased on or after 1/1/2012.