Lyst - My Fashion Secret!

Today's discussion is sponsored by Lyst, regardless all opinions expressed are my own!

I'm a shopaholic, I've never denied that... but I'm a thrifty shopaholic! I love finding a bargain, so I suppose I'm a fashionista on a budget and that's why I peruse Lyst for the best deals! I shared my love for Lyst last year and while I've done a ton of shopping on the website since then, I feel like I need to remind you all about this ridiculously useful website and encourage you to join me and find some great deals and designer items for yourself!

From the hottest trends like ankle boots and leather jackets, to classic cocktail dresses, to the fluffiest faux fur, Lyst can help you find the most amazing deals on everything you need to make your wardrobe complete this season! If you're on the hunt for accessories, you'll find the perfect item while browsing on Lyst. If you need a new handbag or a present for your hubby, you'll find something you just love while looking through all of the items available. That's why I love Lyst so much... you can find anything, from nearly everywhere, all in one place.

While I've been eyeing several items on Lyst lately, I must say floral dresses have held a special place in my heart. There's just something about a pretty little flowered dress and the end of summer, it's the perfect pairing. If you're wanting to invest in a cute floral dress, here are a list of my favorites:

1. ASOS Women's Fold Over Bandeau Mini Prom Dress In Placed Bouquet Floral | 2. Maggy London Women's White Floral-print Fit-and-flare Dress | 3. MSGM Women's Multicolor Short Dress  | 4. Boohoo Women's Blue Doina Strappy Back Floral Printed Maxi Dress | 5. Vince Camuto Women's Black Floral Scuba Shift Dress | 6.  Adidas Originals Women's Multicolor Originals High Lo Maxi Dress In Engraved Floral Print

Floral dresses are all the rage, at least in my opinion. So maybe you should head on over and check out my collection and maybe purchase one or two if you feel so inclined. If floral dresses aren't your thing, take a second and check out everything else Lyst has to offer, you're bound to find at least a handful of items to add to your wardrobe.

Which leads me to my next little tidbit of information -  I want to share how you shop on Lyst, for those of you that don't already know... It's rather simple, if you're shopping from the US, UK, or Europe, there are two ways you can buy items on Lyst. With some retailers you can purchase your items through Lyst's super fancy integrated shopping cart (making all of your purchases from different stores at once with their interface) or you can buy an item directly via the stores website, whichever way you prefer!

It's that easy to fill your closet with beautiful new items, but be warned, Lyst is addictive (in all the best ways)! So tell me, what items on Lyst will you be adding to your wardrobe first?

Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Muffins with Vanilla Iced Coffee Glaze!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

During my pregnancy I've had all kinds of crazy cravings, from bacon and peanut butter donuts, to cheap noodles prepared with milk and hot sauce, to cheeseburgers for my first meal of the day... Our kitchen has produced some interesting dishes at odd times lately. Although I haven't had the stereotypical craving for pickles and ice cream, yet.

While my cravings have been a bit all over the place, this week things seem to have settled down a bit... I've been craving basic breakfast foods. I'm more than overjoyed to bite into a delicious cinnamon roll and sip on a glass of iced coffee. 

 
I'd be surprised if you don't agree, there's just something so special about a tasty pastry in the early AM - especially when it's homemade!

If you're a fellow breakfast time sweet treat lover you'll love these cinnamon roll muffins. They are the perfect mixture of cinnamon and sugar, sure to make your mouth water and combined with a Vanilla Iced Coffee infused glaze and served with a nice big ol' glass of International Delight Vanilla, Caramel Macchiato, or Mocha Iced Coffee, they are stellar!

Whether you're just wanting to treat yourself or you want to share something delicious with a few other people, I highly suggest you get in the kitchen in whip up a batch of these cinnamon roll muffins today... and don't forget to serve them with your favorite ID Iced Coffee!

For this recipe you will need:

Cinnamon Filling:
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted and cooled
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Muffins:
2 cups gluten-free flour mix
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (unless your mix already includes xanthum gum)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk

Sweet Icing Glaze:
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla International Delight Iced Coffee
1 teaspoon milk
crystallized sugar sprinkles (optional)

Directions

You'll want to begin preperation for this recipe by preheating your oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin, and set it aside.

Next you'll want to lace mix the filling ingredients in a small bowl and combine well. Set aside until needed.

Now you'll make the muffin mix. In a medium-size bowl, mix your flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine well. Set the dry ingredients aside.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat your softened butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, then the eggs, then the vanilla, and beat on medium speed until mixed well.

Now slowly add in the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk - I did this in three parts. (Note: The batter will be thick, but also fluffy - resembling pizza dough somewhat.)
 

This part is where your hands may get a little messy, place half of the muffin batter in the lined muffin tin, then add in a small bit of the filling. Swirl the filling around gently in the batter with a skewer, a toothpick, or the tongs of a fork. Now add more muffin batter and then top with the remaining filling and swirl again. Pat the top of each muffin until they are fairly flat.
 
Bake in the preheated oven for 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling, it's time to make the sweet icing glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and 1 teaspoon of the Iced Coffee, mix to combine well. Now slowly add more milk by the 1/4 teaspoon measurement and mix well until you have a thick, but slowly pourable, glaze.

Here's the most delicious part, pour a bit of glaze over each cooled muffin, and topped with crystallized sugar sprinkles if you would like!

Enjoy!

Get ready to share this recipe with all of your friends, it's bound to be a hit! Plus, you'll probably be asked where you acquired your barista skills with the delicious International Delight Iced Coffee blends being paired with your delicious treats... the best part is, those are the easiest part of breakfast to serve! Just pour and enjoy!

So tell me, what breakfast foods do you enjoy the most? Are you the type to indulge in brunch as well? Do you like breakfast for dinner? I can't wait to hear all about your love for breakfast foods in the comments below... and if you love International Delight as much as I do, be sure to sign up for their newsletter here!

20 Must-Read Children's Books: You'll Want to Add All of These to Your Baby's Bookshelf!

As I mentioned recently, I'm super excited to share my love of books with our little miss. I'm sure I'm not the only parent that's eager to read to their child and watch their wonder of books blossom, so today I want to share a great little list of books for any baby to enjoy with their parents!

Whether you want to read a book about little creatures who love cookies or a book about how much you love your little one, there's a little bit of everything included in this list! With beautiful illustrations and creative tales, you and your little one are going to love this collection of good, clean books and since most of them can be bought as "board books", they are tough enough that your little one can handle them without a worry!

Go ahead and buy one, two, or maybe even a few of these awesome books... I've linked all of them below so you can easily find them and stock up your babe's library!

1. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff

2. The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin

3. How Do I love you? by Marion Dane Bauer

4. A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

5. The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson

6. I'll See you in the Morning by Mike Jolley

7. Numbers by Orla Kiley

8. A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

9. Gaston (and Friends) by Kelly DiPucchio

10. The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood

11. Ten Tiny Tickles by Karen Katz

12. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

13. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

14. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr

15. Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

16. I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa Mccourt

17. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

18. The Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz

19. Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton

 20. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

That's TWENTY different books you can add to your kiddo's library and I guarantee you'll love each book every time you read it. If you are already a parent, I'd love to hear what your favorite children's book is and why it's your favorite in the comments below!

Interested in finding more awesome items for babies and new mamas?
Click here to check out my Baby Shower Gift Guide!

11 Simple Ways Everyone Can Improve Their Daily Productivity

I try to be as productive as possible, but sometimes life gets in the way... I think most people can relate, unless you are super human. Whether you're a mama of 4 or a busy entrepreneur it's hard to fit everything you want to accomplish into a short 24 hour day! While I'm no expert, I have found a few simple ways to increase my productivity each day and I want to share my secrets with you today.

Let's get to the point and start getting productive:

1. Don't spend all day replying to emails (and/or texts). While it's wise to take some time to formulate a great response, don't dwell! Spend a minute or less contemplating what you want to convey and go ahead and hit send before you change your mind.

2. Visualize the end result you desire. It may sound simple but knowing what you want to accomplish makes accomplishing your goal easier because you know what you would like the end product to be.

3. Do the easy things first. If you have a list of tasks to accomplish, get straight to the point and check off your easiest tasks before attempting the difficult - this will save you time and hopefully some energy while allowing you to prioritize and focus on the things that really need your attention.

4. If you work on a computer, like most of us do, it's time to learn and use keyboard short cuts. Simple commands like CTRL and  + can zoom in your screen quickly and save you time and energy. You can set your keyboard up to follow all kinds of commands, use this to your advantage and you'll instantly feel more productive with all of the time you save!

5. Start a "note" on your phone with all of your brilliant ideas. These ideas may not result in much more than a passing thought, but they could lead to a new invention or a great new way of accomplishing tasks... it doesn't hurt to write them down and come back later when you have time!

6. Treat your time as money. Stop wasting time twiddling your thumbs or liking your friend's dog photos on Facebook. While it's great to support your friends and their love for pooches, you need to make sure you are using your "work hours" productively - no matter how cute the pup.

7. Manage your anxiety. Don't let the "what if" thoughts get in your way... I know this is easier said than done, but you may find some comfort in yoga, running, swimming, dancing, etc

8. Sleep more, it will result in you accomplishing more and feeling more inspired!

9. Eliminate trivial decisions... Don't waste time trying to figure out what you want to wear or where you should eat, make decisions in advance and stick with them.

10. Make your diet into a routine. This doesn't mean you have to eat the same thing everyday... but if you make regular meal plans and stick with your choices, your life is easier and your body is happier.

11. Let yourself breathe... Sometimes it's okay to take a break, it makes it easier to focus when it's time to come back to the drawing board. Spend some time running around with your kids before you dive into your next assignment, you and your kids will feel better!

Do you have any tips to improve your productivity? I'd love to hear all the details in the comments below!