April 20, 2015

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers

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

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers

While "The Dog Days of Summer" haven't descended upon us quite yet, the impending hot weather and long days are all too exciting for this summer-loving family. Some people just despise heat and while I can respect that, I just don't get it.

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers

I love spending time outdoors with my husband and my dogs, just enjoying nature and all the beauty it has to offer. We all love to spend all day outdoors during the summer; soaking up the sun at the dog beach, running around the trails, or just having a barbecue together! They're our little best friends, so taking them with us on our adventures sometimes is a must!

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers

Luckily, it's warming up so the first barbecue of the season officially took place this weekend! We celebrated in style, making delicious Hawaiian burgers for my husband and I.

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers


Since we didn't want the dogs to feel left out, we served up treats fit for kings (and queens)! The NEW, Doggy Taste-Tested & Approved Nudges® Grillers & Sizzlers are our dogs new favorite treats for life!

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers

My dogs are pretty obsessed with treats in general, but Nudges® Dog Treats are just different, in a good way. Gnarly, my rambunctious but usually respectful of boundaries little poodle, decided to steal the treats off the table while we were preparing the BBQ. I guess you could say he likes them, more than a little bit.

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers

He'll be happy to find out, Nudges® Grillers & Sizzlers come in several different flavors so his appetite will always be satiated! With the Grillers offered in Chicken and Steak flavors and the Sizzlers offered in Chicken Bacon and Beef & Cheese flavors, I think Gnarly and Pow will have a tough time deciding on a favorite from the bunch!

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers

I'm just happy knowing my dogs nutritional needs are being met with real meat, since it's the #1 ingredient! We feed ourselves only real foods, I feel they deserve the same. So the fact that they also include no artificial fillers or flavors is a huge bonus in my book!

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers

Giving my dogs something natural (that they love) is an awesome way to feel like I'm really spoiling them, but in all reality they are getting a part of their diet they need! They deserve the best, since they're our best friends after all. I'd love to hear how you spoil your furry best friends! Do you love to treat your pups to something special? How do you plan to spend the dog days of summer?

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers

Be sure to check out the Dog Treat aisle at Walmart for all kinds of ways to spoil your fur-iend! With Nudges® Grillers, Sizzlers, and Jerky Cuts available in all different sizes you are sure to find something perfect for their tastes!

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers

Maybe you can even have a little Dog Days BBQ with your buddies too!

Dog Days Barbecue with My Pups + Nudges® Grillers and Sizzlers


Stay Connected with Nudges: Nudge Them Back.com Website | Facebook

April 18, 2015

Stuff I Love Saturday - Books for The Brilliant, Cocktail Recipes, and The Meaning of Life

I had a series for a few weeks last year that was "Things I Love Thursdays" and while that was a bunch of fun, it kind of fizzled out because Thursday tend to be a super busy day for me... but now that I'm trying to implement more time for me, I'm ready to bring back a little bit of fun to the blog and what better day to share a bunch of fun than SATURDAY?! I'm going to share Stuff I Love on Saturday's everyday for the rest of the year, whether it's a quote, an upcoming event, new fashion trends, my favorite techie bits, or whatever... You'll find my favorites here.

The meaning to life is....
 

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”
—Joseph Campbell


This frolicking little elephant will bring a smile to your face:

These parents that turn the month of November into something epic for their children:
(source)

This dreamy igloo hotel under the northern lights in Finland:
(source)


The fact that The Age of Adaline comes out in less than a week is definitely something I love!


This list of eight books every intelligent person on the planet should read. Neil deGrasse Tyson, the champion of science and celebrator of the cosmic perspective, recommends these books to gain insight into most of what has driven the history of the western world. Looks like I have some reading to do!

This headboard tutorial has really knocked my socks off, I must make my own soon:




Lastly, I'll leave you with this list of 78 cocktail recipes every party monster (or casual drinker) should know how to make! Maybe you can give one of these a try tonight! I'll take an espresso martini, if you're offering!

Let's get to know each other! Leave a comment telling me some of your favorites from the week or share a link to a recent post about stuff you love!

April 17, 2015

The Movie I'm Most Excited to See in 2015: The Age of Adaline

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Lionsgate. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.



You know that moment when you see a preview for a movie that is coming out soon and it makes you SO excited that you have to see the movie as soon as possible? I'm talking about the type of movie that makes you add a note to your phone's calendar and text your best friend that she HAS to come with you to see the movie on opening night. Well, The Age of Adaline is one of those movies.

In only two minutes, I already know I'll love everything about this movie. With twists and turns that you wouldn't expect, The Age of Adaline captures the gorgeous Blake Lively as a young woman, named Adaline Bowman, trapped in a body that doesn't age after an accident.

While that may sound like an ideal life, the downfall is that everyone else will continue to age. Our society considers maintaining our youth to be a fantasy, but as you'll find out in The Age of Adaline the reality of eternal youth isn't all it's chalked up to be. True love, family devotion, and a suspenseful story-line... what more could you ask for in a movie?
Watching Lively play Adaline is a real treat. Her beautiful face is truly timeless, which is proven as she adjust her looks to blend with each and every decade through out the years. While her acting is amazing, the supporting actors in the movie also do a great job of making the story line come together.

This unique, romantic tale is one that I'll be waiting in line to see on April 23rd. Are you excited to see The Age of Adaline as well? What part of the movie hooked you in at first? The enchantment, the romance, or the fashion through out the decades? No matter what initially pulls you into the story line, The Age of Adaline asks the deep questions we all have about love, life and values and hopefully will provide some answers... I suppose only time will tell.
A photo posted by Age Of Adaline (@ageofadaline) on

Haven't seen the trailer yet? Here's your chance:

April 16, 2015

5 Must-See Foodie Shows on Netflix

I'm a Netflix fanatic, as are most of us now-a-days. I'm obsessed with binge-watching shows that catch my interest and lately, I've been a total foodie when it comes to television. I've been trying to discuss some of these awesome shows with friends lately and I've realized that most of them have no idea Netflix even has such a wide variety of cooking/foodie shows. So go ahead an pull up your queue so we can add every single one of these shows to it!

5 Must-See Foodie Shows on Netflix



We're going to start off with one of my favorites, although these shows are listed in no particular order.

1. Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives - This show with my main man Guy Fieri has to be one of my favorite shows on Netflix, ever. It makes me want to travel, eat, and just be silly all at the same time! Guy's commentary on the shows and his passion for food are really inspiring and some of the amazing foods he eats are from my area, so that's pretty cool to watch as well! If you are looking for places to stop on a road trip or just looking for foodie traveling destinations, this show is a great way to find hole-in-the-wall places that serve food that will blow your mind!

2. Food Network Star - This super fun show puts you in contact with people who are real, making it a fun way to watch someone who is just a normal person picked to possibly become the next Food Network Star and receive their own tv show. I love watching each of the contestants grow and learning more about food in the process. This show seems like it starts out slow at first but you'll soon fall in love with the contestants! I personally love the judges as well and Giada is an inspiration to me on so many levels. I highly recommend this show for other bloggers as well, it has been helping me learn to describe food in a more appealing way which has been a great educational asset as well.

3. Ace of Cakes Collection - This super fun dessert based show takes you on a journey through Duff Goldman's kitchen, the Ace of Cakes himself. I'm obsessed with all of the creativity in this show and it really inspires me to get my hands dirty, although my one experience with fondant in the past was a total fail... I'll be giving it a try again soon thanks to this show and it's influence over me!

4. The Pioneer Woman - Almost everyone knows of Ree's show, but most people don't know that you can watch 20 episodes of her tv show on Netflix! What I love about Pioneer Woman is that it feels like you are really connecting with Ree, like you are reading her blog or sitting in her kitchen. A personable experience and learning new recipes are how she lures people in and then she hooks you with family stories and her captivating personality! This is one show I highly recommend to anyone even remotely interested in cooking and/or food!

5. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - I love this show for every single reason some people hate it. Anthony Bourdain, while he may come off to rude or a know-it-all to some, supplies so much insight into odd culinary experiences that his cynical and sarcastic personality comes off as almost charming in some ways. He's a genius at describing things, when he hasn't had too much to drink, and simply knows how to show a viewer a good time.

Now that I've shared some of my recent Netflix foodie favorites, I'd love to know what you've been watching lately?

When Life Gets Busy Pamper Yourself & Your Senses with Caress Forever Collection

The love expressed below for The Caress Forever Collection is purely my own, although today's discussion about this awesome body wash is sponsored. #CaressForever #12HrTouchTechnology

When Life Gets Busy Pamper Yourself & Your Senses with Caress Forever Collection #CaressForever #12HrTouchTechnology

When life gets busy, it's sometimes easy to let yourself go... I know I'm guilty of wearing the same pair of yoga pants two days in a row or sometimes even forgetting to brush my hair before leaving the house to run last-minute errands. Life happens, we all know that.

Lately I've been trying to do things to take better care of myself, like getting more sleep, making healthier choices when it comes to snacking, and really just trying to make sure that I'm treating my body well; what I've neglected to do is treat my skin well.

When Life Gets Busy Pamper Yourself & Your Senses with Caress Forever Collection #CaressForever #12HrTouchTechnology

After a pretty gnarly sunburn from going kayaking a few weeks ago, my skin desperately needed to be pampered. That's when I found the Caress Forever Collection in two fabulous scents and knew that I needed to spend an entire evening soaking in a tub of bubbles soothing my skin and pampering my senses while getting lost in a book and sipping a glass of my favorite wine!

As I laid in my tub, I thought to myself "Pampering yourself like this should be a daily thing", then I realized with my new body wash it totally will be.

When Life Gets Busy Pamper Yourself & Your Senses with Caress Forever Collection #CaressForever #12HrTouchTechnology

The two amazing scents are "Love Forever" and "Adore Forever". I personally prefer the "Love Forever" scent which has a Mandarin Orange and peach top note, a scarlet red rose, peony, and freesia heart note, and a sandalwood and vanilla musk base note.

When Life Gets Busy Pamper Yourself & Your Senses with Caress Forever Collection #CaressForever #12HrTouchTechnology

The Adore Forever scent is slightly sweeter with a raspberry and cassis top note, an angel face rose and muguet heart note, and an amber, honey, and vanilla base note.

When Life Gets Busy Pamper Yourself & Your Senses with Caress Forever Collection #CaressForever #12HrTouchTechnology

While other body washes I've used in the past have always been appealing to the senses, the Caress Forever Collection is different. These body washes are an innovation. The first in the world with Fragrance Touch Technology...Which is totally amazing and all, but I know you are probably wondering what that means...? The breakthrough technology of Caress Fragrance Release Pearls™ releases bursts of perfume with every touch of your skin. The collection combines sensual floral notes to create a fine fragrance for up to 12 hours!


As the award winning perfumer and creator of this body wash, Loc Dong says, "The Caress Forever Collection evokes love, passion, sensuality, and elegance." Loc Dong, along with more than 25 scientists across 4 continents, came up with this technological breakthrough in beauty that will leave you feeling beautiful, refreshed, and revitalized every time you use it! If you want to treat yourself to a spa-like experience at home and pamper yourself and your senses, grab either rich, luxurious scent from The Caress Forever collection and prepare to relax!


April 14, 2015

The Secret to Keeping Your Spouse Smiling While Shopping + a SNICKERS® Pudding Parfait





My husband makes a pretty awesome shopping partner. He especially excels at helping me find deals, so I obviously love to have him tag along when I go shopping for pretty much anything.

The Secret to Keeping Your Spouse Smiling While Shopping + a SNICKERS® Pudding Parfait

While he's the master of deals, he tends to turn into a monster about halfway through our shopping trip, no matter how long we've been shopping or where we are... He doesn't get angry because I'm spending too much money or time in one store (most of the time anyways), he gets frustrated because he gets hungry. Not just your average version of hungry, either. My normal, deal-loving hubby gets hungry and he kind of starts to throw a little "hangry" fit unless he gets food fast.

The Secret to Keeping Your Spouse Smiling While Shopping + a SNICKERS® Pudding Parfait

He honestly can eat like no one else I know. He's a constant snack-er, been referred to as a human garbage disposal, and will literally finish his own meal and move onto mine almost every time we go out to dinner. He could eat all day, every day, so having SNICKERS® with us on a shopping trip is the only way I can keep him focused while we are out hunting for deals!

He's been this way forever; one of my favorite stories my mother-in-law has shared with me from his childhood actually involves his excessive hunger and really captures who he is as a whole when he gets hungry. My husband, as a toddler, in the wee hours of the morning snuck out of his bed and into my mother-in-law's room and woke her up by peeling her eyes open with his little fingers and exclaiming "Are you ever going to feed me again?!"

The Secret to Keeping Your Spouse Smiling While Shopping + a SNICKERS® Pudding Parfait

So even if I feed my man before we head out to go shopping, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll be whining about being hungry and possibly get "hangry" if I don't feed him quick enough...That's why we always make a pit stop at the Circle K right by our house and grab a couple of SNICKERS®!

The Secret to Keeping Your Spouse Smiling While Shopping + a SNICKERS® Pudding Parfait

I can shop without a worry in the world once I've handed him his favorite candy bar. SNICKERS® makes everything better! Luckily, Circle K has every single one of his favorites: SNICKERS® Almond, SNICKERS® Peanut Butter, and SNICKERS® Extreme.

Need another reason to grab a SNICKERS® while out on the go?

The Secret to Keeping Your Spouse Smiling While Shopping + a SNICKERS® Pudding Parfait

While I'm not hungry as often as my hubby, I love that the packages we buy for hubby typically have two candy bars! Although he can (and sometimes does) eat both candy bars, I love using the second one to make myself a special treat!

The Secret to Keeping Your Spouse Smiling While Shopping + a SNICKERS® Pudding Parfait

I make a delicious SNICKERS® Parfait within seconds using chopped apples, tapioca pudding, some whipped cream, and of course, a SNICKERS®. I use a SNICKERS® extreme and chop it up into itty, bitty pieces so I get a little bit of that rich, caramel-y goodness in each bite! It's a wonderful way to reward myself when I'm hungry after a long day of shopping and hits the spot, every single time!
The Secret to Keeping Your Spouse Smiling While Shopping + a SNICKERS® Pudding Parfait

Don't miss your chance to enter to win the SNICKERS® "Who are you when you're hungry?" contest! Just upload a personal photo or video from your computer, facebook, instagram, or use the SNICKERS® meme generator to create something new! Voting begins at noon on 5/11/15 and ends at midnight on 7/15/15!


See more great SNICKERS® recipes and fun stories on the SNICKERS® social hub.
The Secret to Keeping Your Spouse Smiling While Shopping + a SNICKERS® Pudding Parfait

Now that I've shared how hubby and I enjoy a SNICKERS®, I'd love to know who you are when you're hungry?

April 13, 2015

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

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

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

DIY projects are probably the most fun you can have while at home... What's not to love about painting, sanding, and just simply creating (or re-creating) something? I'm always up for a challenge and luckily my hubby is as well. When I decided that I wanted a new bedside table and a new lamp to place upon my new nightstand earlier this week, we both started thinking creatively and came up with two really awesome DIY projects that I'm just gaga over.

Before I share our fun projects, let's start with the reason why I wanted a new nightstand though. I'm implementing a new routine in the evenings. While I've always been a "night owl", staying up until the wee hours of the morning is wearing on me and when I hit twenty-six last month, I knew it was time to give up my typical 4AM bedtime.

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

I am now reading in bed an hour before I fall asleep with my GE Align™ bulb inside my new birdhouse lamp, helping me improve my sleeping habits. I also apply lavender essential oils to my wrists and burn a relaxing scented candle, all in an effort to relax my mind and send me snoozin'!

While this may seem like a normal nightly routine, it's not what I'm used to. I've spent the last few years on a computer until late at night, literally working until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I'm so excited for this change and I know what an incredible difference sleeping more will have on my body.

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

So now that you know why we are adding this super cute new decor to our room, let's get to the fun part of it all!

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp



This nightstand is a SUPER simple DIY project that anyone can complete. You'll only need sandpaper, paint, and paintbrushes... and of course, a nightstand. I found my nightstand at a thrift store for $12! I'm sure you could hit up a garage sale or a flea market and find one even cheaper.

After you have all your supplies, just sand the nightstand until it has a bit of grit to it and paint. We applied two coats over a couple hour process. Taking our nightstand from a thrift store reject to a refreshed, reinvented piece of furniture that matches our room perfectly!

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

Now that we had our nightstand finished, it was time to create a new light for our room that would be comforting and conducive to sleep while also matching our decor.. I originally went shopping for a lamp that I liked but I couldn't find anything that fit my eclectic style and the color scheme in our room. Then when I was browsing my local craft store, I saw this adorable birdhouse (err, bird feeder), and fell in love. The windows adding the little "details" that I wanted my lamp to have, the natural wood finish allowing me to paint the lamp whatever shade I wanted... that's when I decided hubby and I were officially going to become lamp makers. After worrying about actually assembling a lamp, we found that building a lamp is actually pretty easy, thank goodness!

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

For this project you will need:
a bird house/bird feeder
an electric drill
a lamp kit
acrylic paints (in preferred shades)
finishing wax
paint brushes
(general tools - i.e. hammer, screwdriver)


You'll want to begin by drilling a hole for the lamp kit's base in your birdhouse. I actually found a birdhouse that had a rope through a hole in the middle of the entire house so we simply widened the hole with our electric drill.

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

Once the hole is drilled and the "base" of the kit fits into the hole, the next step is painting. I decided I wanted my lamp to have a rustic, beachy feel to it so I used this simple technique (you'll want to keep in mind for all sorts of furniture)!

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

You can make anything look "chalk painted" so easily, a technique I love using for all sorts of pieces.

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

You'll start this simple process with a layer of dark paint, then apply a layer of white acrylic paint thinned with water, then ivory acrylic paint thinned with water.

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

Now you'll apply a coat of paint of the color you actually want your item to be (lavender purple, in my case), then white paint and water again. Allowing each coat to dry before applying the next.

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

Once all of the coats are applied, sand each side, making sure to only sand it until you like the way it looks... Be careful not to over sand, it's easy to do if you are multi-tasking!

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp


After I sanded the project I applied a thin layer of finishing wax. Once the wax is dry, it's officially time to bring light into your world!

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

Bring the electrical wires through your birdhouse (using a stiffer item like a wire hanger to help you guide the wires), then assemble the light kit as instructed... I don't want to give exact advice on assembling the kit because I'm not an electrician, but you should tie an underwriter's knot and be sure to pay attention to the ribbing on the wires and connect the correct wire to the correct screw (as instructed on your lamp kit).

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

Once your lamp is assembled, you'll want to install a NEW GE Align™ PM LED Light Bulb to help promote your body's natural sleep cycle by helping it to produce more melatonin. You'll also want to add a lampshade!

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

If you don't already have a light bulb, you can buy one of the awesome GE Align™ PM LED Light Bulbs on Amazon.com and get it shipped to you fast!

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp


They actually produce a lower amount of blue light, providing a soothing yellow light helping you rest easier. Maybe you are trying to implement a better morning routine instead? Check out the GE Align™ AM LED Light Bulbs, which help promote the body's natural wake cycle.

DIY Bedside Makeover: a Reinvented Nightstand + a Vintage-Inspired Birdhouse Lamp

Now your new lamp is all set to use.. and I feel like I should warn you, I'm sitting here in awe. I like our new pieces of furniture so much because they are obviously adorable new pieces of decor, but because of the less obvious reason: the memories we made together.

Now that I've shared how we gave my bedside a total makeover, I'd love to know how you "wind down" and relax at night?

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