Summer Wish List/ Must Have's

T-G-I-F ya'll! It was only a 4 day work week because of the holiday on Monday but I swear this week felt so long. Am I alone in feeling this way? Thankfully it's FRIDAY! I am so ready to get this weekend started... how about you!? Until 5pm hits, I'll be dreaming about Summer :)

{Are you local to the Baltimore area? If so, see the bottom of this post for some weekend happenings.}

1. Trina Turk Kon Tiki Plunging Halter Wrap One Piece Swimsuit

2. Tommy Bahama Sun Shelter

3. Surf Gypsy Pom Pom Swim Cover Up Shorts

4. Coral Melamine Serving Platter

5. Neutrogena Age Shield Face, Sunscreen Lotion

Baltimore weekend happenings: Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays @ Camden Yards, MDSPCA March for the Animals @ Druid Hill Park, Annapolis Greek Festival @ Ss. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, Criss Angel @ Lyric Opera House, LoCash Cowboys @ Rams Head Live, Baltimore County Farmer's Market @ Maryland State Fairgrounds, and the Charles Village Festival @ Wyman Park Dell

XoXo

DIY Laundry Detergent

Last week I made my own laundry detergent for the very first time! It was 100 times easier than I thought it was going to be. For some reason I thought it was going to be complicated because if it wasn't then why wouldn't everyone do it? Well I'm here to tell you it was easy peasy and I honestly do not know why people buy laundry detergent. By making it yourself, you are saving yourself money! I made a powder version but there is also a liquid version using the same ingredients. 

Here's what you'll need:

1. 3 cups Borax

2. 3 cups Baking Soda

3. 3 cups Washing Soda

4. 2 bars of Fels Naptha

5. 20 drops of essential oils {I used breathe & balance}

This recipe makes about a gallon and you only need to use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load, depending on size. So you can get about 128 to 256 loads of laundry out of this batch!

Here's what you'll do:

1. Grate the soap with a cheese grater

2. Add essential oils to soap and mix together

3. In a bucket combine all ingredients: soap mixture, borax, baking soda, and washing soda... then pour into container {I washed empty tea and orange juice bottles and used them as my containers}





 When mixing everything together, do it in layers... this will make it easier for you to get a more even mixture. Voila! You've got yourself some laundry detergent and it was THAT easy. If you'd like a fabric softener, I've heard of people adding 1/4 cup of white vinegar to their load although I've never tried it myself.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34

Sriracha Grilled Shrimp

Want a delicious and easy shrimp recipe to cook on the grill? Well here ya go! Just 5 ingredients is all you need. PS. I promise this is not spicy. If you DO want it to be spicy, I'd try adding more sriracha or using a spicier sauce like Frank's.

What you need:

1. Mayonnaise

2. Sriracha

3. Worcestershire sauce

4. Onion

5. Shrimp {peeled and deveined}

What to do:

1. Chop 1/4 of an onion very finely

2. Add 1 large spoonful/dollop of mayonnaise, 2 squeezes of sriracha, and one dash of worcestershire sauce to the onion and mix well

3. Let cool in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes

4. Glaze over shrimp and grill on each side for 5-10 minutes











We decided to serve the shrimp with loaded mashed potatoes and pasta salad {it would also be great on top of a nice butter and herb rice}. Enjoy!

XoXo

Weekend Recap {Happy Memorial Day!}

Not that it'll ever be enough but THANK YOU to those who serve our country, THANK YOU to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, and THANK YOU to the family and friends of those men and women... because after all, they carry the heaviest burden. Today more then ever I am counting my blessings.

 

 

In previous years I've attended our family bbq or spent the long weekend at our family beach house but this year Jon and I kept it low key. We stayed in Baltimore and didn't really do much of anything! Which was a nice change of pace and just what we Jon needed after a very busy week of work for him.

 

 

On Saturday we headed down to Fells Point and did lunch at Papi's Tacos! Friends of ours rave about it so we were really excited to finally try it. And it was good... damn good! Afterwards we walked around the square, stopped in Kooper's for another drink and some crab dip, and then sat by the water to enjoy the beautiful weather. When a few ducks walked up to us I remembered I had some leftover bread and crab dip in our take home box from lunch. They'd enjoy the bread more than I would so it went to them. The highlight of my day!

 

 

 

The rest of the weekend was spent getting errands and chores done and spending time on our back patio. We made the most amazing shrimp on our grill and I'll be sharing the recipe tomorrow so stay tuned. Mmmm sooo good :)

 

 

 

Have a great week, friends!

 

XoXo

Friday Randoms & A Giveaway!!!

1. Ideas if you're attending Memorial Day festivities this weekend:

 

"The Sparkler"

Sweet Summer Salad

Taco Dip

2. Did you catch my Atlantic City recap post? If you did, you might have seen that Jon and I went to a Craig Morgan concert while we were there. I didn't go into detail on my post, but the concert was so good that I think it IS worth mentioning. In fact Jon and I both agreed that it was one of the best shows we've seen. Craig Morgan was hilarious! His band was amazing! The music was on point! Just all around a really great time. If you ever have the chance to see him, go.

 

3. 5am this morning Harley had an upset stomach so he jumped in my bed and started nudging my face to wake me up {he knows not to mess with daddy when he's sleeping ;)} I was able to get him outside just in time! What a good boy, right? Gosh I love him

4. Baltimore Happenings: All Time Low @ Pier Six Pavilion, Dirty Dancing @ The Hippodrome, Brew at the Zoo @ The Maryland Zoo, Good Life Festival @ Boordy Vineyards, NCAA Lacrosse Championship @ M&T Stadium, Orioles vs Astros @ Camden Yards, and The Color Run 5k @ Camden Yards.

 

5. Who wants to win a $200 J. Crew gift card? {me, me!} Enter below using the rafflecopter. You can enter daily until June 12th. Giveaway is open worldwide. Winner will be notified by email. Good luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

XoXo

Broadview Entertainment & Products

Do ya'll remember the barn wedding I posted about recently? It was the wedding of my best friend! The night was one to remember and brought back memories of my own wedding. I've shared a lot about my wedding on the blog but I just realized I forgot to tell ya'll about my DJ's! They were simply amazing and took the reins which is exactly what this busy bride needed. 

{Henry announcing us as husband and wife for the very first time}

When planning a wedding you have lots of choices for your vendors. In my own opinion, some things hold a higher value. Like food... you need to have good food. And entertainment... you need to have good entertainment for your guests. Ever been to a wedding where the DJ just isn't upbeat and plays the wrong kind of music? Yeah, that's never fun. Knowing this, I did my research before booking anything. And when I say research, I mean I did a TON OF research! I wanted to make sure I was making the best decisions... because {after all} this was mine, my husbands, and our parents hard working money we were talking about. And lets just say we aren't made of money. Ya feel me?

{Henry and Jay setting up before our ceremony}

We booked Broadview Entertainment & Products for our DJ services. Henry Basta Jr. went to high school with Jon and was our MC. Jay Karolenko was our DJ and played the music during our ceremony and reception. We met with Henry in person once and talked to him numerous times before the wedding. In our meeting, Henry went over everything with us... things I didn't even think of. From genre and song preferences and dislikes... to bridal party announcements... to order of reception events... Henry helped us with it all.

{The guests loved when Jay played the Cupid Shuffle}

The day of the wedding Henry and Jay arrived at our venue allowing themselves plenty of time to set up before guests started to arrive. They were reliable and dressed formally. Aside from ceremony songs and the songs for our specialty dances {first dance, father daughter, mother son} we had no idea what songs we {or our guests} wanted to be played. Thankfully Henry and Jay took over. Jay played beautiful music during the seating of our guests, cocktail hour, dinner, and cake cutting. He then was able to read the crowd and knew the right party/dance songs to play during bridal party announcements and throughout the entire reception. Henry was so fun and personable! He got our guests excited during announcements and kept them on the dance floor all night long. I am so thankful to them because they were so important for the entertainment of our guests!

{It didn't matter what age you were... EVERYONE was out on the dance floor}

Price? Well you just can't beat it. And remember, I did a TON OF research. Soooo, yeah. Their team also offers photography and videography services. Visit their website to inquire more about their services. They have a number of flexible packages and will help fit one to you and your budget. And obviously, they come HIGHLY recommended.

XoXo