Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Summer Salad Swap Hope for Sudan Etsy Shop Update!

Happy Saturday!

I have some updates that I wanted to let you guys know about!

First up, last summer I hosted a Summer Salad Swap Link up & I am going to do it again this year!

I love making salads in the summer & love getting new salad ideas!
Link up your favorite salad recipes this Friday, July 27th!
{You can grab a button on the side bar}

Next up & most importantly......
My friend Jess & her husband planted a church in the Bay Area.
Her husband went to Sudan this Spring & he felt called to do something to help the Sudan, where people & babies are literally starving to death.

Their church will be sending a small team into this region to provide immediate hunger relief next month. Their desire is to continue to send groups of individuals in the near future.

They are trying to raise $25,000 in the next 5 weeks to help the Sudan.

Jess is having an awesome giveaway on her blog to help raise awareness & money for this cause.
I am honored to be a part of her giveaway.
I am offering a party design package from my Etsy shop.
25 invites & envelopes
25 favor tags
25 cupcake toppers

Would you consider helping spread the word about Hope for Sudan?

Want to win some other prizes?

Visit Keeping Up With the Johnson's for the details!

And, speaking of my Etsy shop, my shop will be on "Maternity Leave" starting August 1st.

I will most likely take the whole month of August off, so if you know you need an invite in August, make sure you place your order before August 1st.
Better yet, go enter Jess' giveaway & hopefully you will win an invite!
I just added this cute invite to my shop:

It is the invite I created for my sister's Little Man Baby Shower that I hosted today.
Shower Recap coming soon!

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Friday, June 30, 2017

5 summer essentials casual mama style

the weather is warming, the sun is hanging around a little longer in the evenings, and I can smell someone in my neighborhood grilling every night of the week. its summer!! when it comes to my wardrobe these days I'm looking for easy care items that I can throw on and feel put together but also be super comfortable and able to move around when I'm out doing activities with my kids- from the grocery store to the aquarium to a (casual) date night these are my top five mama essentials for summer! even better- the holiday weekend has left us with a bunch of sales, so nearly all my picks are discounted! yas!

the easy tee

I've been living in boyfriend style pocket tees. I love the casual nature of them and how lightweight and comfortable they are for summer! I tuck the front for a little added shape and you can totally dress them up our down, just depending on the shoes and accessories. I'm also loving the softened shirts that button down- my third summer in a row to be breastfeeding, so I'm all about the easy access with buttons down the front!
casual bottoms

two words: boyfriend denim. I LOVE distressed denim and the boyfriend style allows me to move and bend and be comfortable without feeling like I'm going to explode after eating Sonic cheesy tots (with jalapeños!). don't get me wrong, there is a perfect time and place for an amazing pair of skinny jeans (I have THESE in every color because they are just perfect in every way!)

but the looser fit of the boyfriend jeans also offers the ability to wear them while its 100+ degrees in Texas. I also invested in a cute pair of joggers to wear while running errands or grabbing coffee with a girlfriend (I did this yesterday!) pair with the boyfriend pocket tee and you are totally hitting all the high marks for that athleisure style thats so popular right now.

AND overalls. yes. 100% yes. I prefer the fitted style over the baggy boyfriend fit- I own a great pair from Pinkblush that I'm loving and wearing about once a week (and they're on sale!). but I'm hard pressed to add a pair of short overalls to the mix. do it.
breezy dresses

my favorite "look" while sporting the bump this time around was a t-shirt dress, sneakers, and a ball cap. talk about comfort and style all wrapped into one! as the heat is rising (its literally sweltering hot today..) I appreciate the t-shirt dress for several reason- keep me cool (number one!), the variety of style it offers (with sneakers + ball cap; sandals + side ponytail; wedges + chunky necklace..), and the fact that I can take the same dress and go from daytime to evening and not have to think about changing my clothes:). these are my favorite dresses for wearing casually with sandals or sneakers.
trendy sneaks

speaking of sneakers.. they are like my new favorite guilty pleasure. no idea WHY, but finding ways to be able to wear them with everything I currently own in my closet is my mission. I think a lot of it has to do with how much I'm on me feet- I need something thats comfortable. I am not a shoe person at all whatsoever.. which is probably a good thing. I usually purchase one great neutral pair of sandals and wear the crap out of them all summer. same for heels and wedges.. now when it comes to boots and booties all bets are off because I just loveeee me some booties.

every color, please! but this is summer.. in Texas.. and I'll literally be filling my suede booties up with sweat if I attempted to wear them right now.. so I'll stick to sneakers:)

blush lip
blush everything is the hottest color of the season and I've found a handful of glosses and mattes that I'm loving right now. the tarte lip paint is phenom.. I got it as a sample last month and I'm loving it so much that I went and got a couple the other day to stock up for summer. my luck, they always discontinue my favorite makeup and I can ever find it again- I hate that! I've learned from these tribulations and always buy more than one when shopping!
my top three makeup must haves right now..
NUMBER ONE is definitely lip gloss. number two would have to be my bronzer/highlighter combo (I am loving the tarte combo palette !), and number three is my eye brow pencil + filler (benefit gimme brow is the bomb).

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Summer Squash Tomato Feta Pesto Pizza

As you may know.....pizza is my favorite food.

I could eat it everyday.

At Christmas I got THIS pizza maker.

(It is also on sale HERE with an extra 20% off this weekend)

We have been making pizza for dinner a few times a month since we got it!

I have been experimenting with different pizza toppings/recipes and there have been some REALLY good ones!

Once a month I am going to share a new pizza recipe with you.

You don't need the pizza maker (you can use your oven) but I am letting you know that using this pizza maker gives your pizza an authentic pizzeria taste!

I am planning on sharing a new pizza recipe the last Friday of each month in honor of Friday Night Pizza Night that we have every Friday night at our house :)

Today I am excited to share my:

Summer Squash, Tomato, Feta & Pesto Pizza

The past few weeks the zucchini, squash & cherry tomatoes have been growing like CRAZY in my garden.
I thought it would be delicious to make a pizza that had some of these fresh vegetables on it. I decided to use pesto as the sauce because I love pesto and the basil in the pesto really enhances the flavors of the veggies.

Here is what you need:

- Pizza Dough (I use pre-made dough from Safeway or Trader Joes. I like Safeway's better because it so much easier to work with & tastes better! You can make your own dough, but when the pre-made dough is only $1.50, this is a no brainer!

- Shredded Mozzarella cheese

- Zucchini

-Squash

- Cherry Tomatoes

- Pesto

- Crumbled Feta cheese

Slice your zuchinni & squash thinly. Cut the tomatoes in half.

I use a variety of my cherry tomatoes...sun sugar & super sweet 100. These taste like candy, they are delicious!

Directions:

If using the Pizza maker, I split the dough in half and then roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface & then I put my dough on a piece of parchment paper.

I cook it on the parchment paper for a few minutes because then I can slide the pizza off the parchment paper without messing up the crust or making all the toppings slide off. I like cooking it without the parchment paper because then it gives the crust a pizzeria taste! If I had a pizza peel, I wouldn't need to have the parchment paper because then I would have the pizza peel to transfer the pizza to and from the pizza cooker...but I don't have one of those yet.

Add some pesto to the crust:

Sprinkle on some shredded mozzarella cheese:

Add the thin slices of the summer squash:

Add the sliced tomatoes:

Sprinkle on the crumbled feta cheese:

Bake in your pizza oven (or regular oven at 450 degrees) for 8-10 minutes

(I bake mine on parchment paper for 5 minutes & then slide it off the parchment paper & bake it on the pizza stone)

This pizza is very "light" compared to other pizzas because of the fresh veggies:

There is SO much flavor....the feta brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes.

It is perfect to make during the summer because of all the fresh summer flavors:

It's full of flavor & I love all the colors :)

You could also use larger tomatoes instead of a cherry variety, but I like using the smaller ones because they are sweeter.

Serve this along with a nice green salad & you have a perfect summer meal!

I hope you love this pizza as much as I do!

Enjoy!

In January I shared my BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe {HERE}

In February I shared my Fig, Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza {HERE}

In March I shared my my Pesto Chicken, Sundried Tomato & Artichoke Pizza {HERE}

In April, I shared a Sweet Italian Sausage, Pepperoni & Bell Pepper Pizza {HERE}

In May I shared my Pepperoni, Pineapple & Jalapeño Pizza {HERE}

In June, I shared my Margherita Pizza {HERE}

What is your favorite pizza topping?

Happy Pizza Friday & I hope you have a great weekend!

Monday, May 29, 2017

Friday Favorites Goodbye Summer Edition

Happy Friday!

Today I'm linking up with Friday Favorites!

Hosted by: Andrea, Erika & Narci

I am NOT happy it is Friday.

It is my last Friday of Summer Vacation.

Next Friday I will be at Teacher Work Day & meet the Teacher for my kids.

Then Monday it will be the first day of school :(

I can't believe July is already over....I know a lot of teachers who feel like this:

Our district changed our school calendar this year & now we start August 15 instead of August 29 which means this summer is 2 weeks shorter than usual. I didn't think 2 weeks would be that big of a deal, but it really is. I want to cry. Seriously.

I'm not ready for school to start again. I have a pit in my stomach.....This summer has been one of the best yet....I'm not ready for it to be over!

Here are some of my favorite things from the past few weeks of summer!

{ONE}

Tomatoes are my VERY favorite thing I grow in my garden each summer.

My early girl tomatoes are growing like crazy right now.

Here is my tomato harvest from earlier this week:

Here are some of my favorite recipes that I make that use tomatoes!

Bacon Lettuce Tomato (BLT) Salad:

Recipe {HERE}

Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad:

Recipe {HERE}

Broccoli Salad:

Recipe {HERE}

Cowboy Salad:

Recipe {HERE}

Avacado, Bacon, Corn Salad:

Recipe {HERE}

Caprese Orzo Salad:

Recipe {HERE}

Margherita Pizza:

Recipe {HERE}

Summer Squash, Tomato, Feta & Pesto Pizza:

Recipe {HERE}

See....I really, really, really love cooking with tomatoes in the Summer.

YUM!

{TWO}

The San Francisco Giants are my favorite!

Last week my sister and I took the girls to a Giants game...it's one of our summer traditions.

AT&T Park where the Giants play is my favorite sports venue.

If you haven't been there before, I highly recommend it.

Awesome views & delicious food!

We had incredible seats & were so close to the players. Look how close we got to my favorite player...Buster Posey!

And, during the 6th inning, we got a foul ball!!!!! The girls are giving it to Luke for his birthday next week. So fun!

P.S. This nail polish I am wearing is one of my favorite summer colors!

{THREE}

Since school starts in 10 days, I thought I would share my favorite backpacks.

Backpacks & lunch boxes from Pottery Barn Kids are my favorite...they really are the best.

They are part of THIS collection.
Both girls have a large size backpack, the classic lunch box & a matching water bottle.
The collection is on sale for 20% off right now!

We got these for the girls last summer & they hold up so well.

They last 2-3 school years at least. I wash them in the washing machine a couple times a school year (and have them air dry) and they look almost as good as new for this school year!

The lunchboxes also wash up really well in the washing machine.

You can't go wrong with them. Plus, so many cute new designs & patterns this Fall.

Check them out HERE.

{FOUR}

Stitch Fixis my Favorite!

My August Fix shipped yesterday! Like last year, I am hoping there is a dress in it that will be perfect to wear on the 1st day of school :)
It's like Christmas morning every month. I have been getting one every month since May 2014 (you don't have to do them every month, but I love getting them, so I chose the monthly option.
You don't have to do it every month, you can customize it to how you want it...every other month, every 2 months, every 3 months, etc.

When you sign up for Stitch Fix , you link your Pinterest Boards to them so that know what styles you like. If you don't have Pinterest, that's okay because they also have a style questionaire for you to fill out & they have collages of outfits and you rate them on how you like them.
Each Fix comes with 5 different items & it comes with a prepaid mailing envelope, so you can easily return the items you don't want.
You aren't obligated to keep any of it! I have kept at least 1 item each time, sometimes I keep 2 or 3.
It's fun!

You can get started with Stitch Fixtoday!

{FIVE}

Speaking of shopping....Did you shop the Nordstrom Sale?

It ends on Sunday!

Here are some of my favorites from the sale:

These jeans are almost 50% off! I love Paige jeans...so soft & comfortable.

Check them out HERE.

I have these pants/jeans in 2 colors and they also fit so well & are comfortable.

And, they are long enough for me!

Check them out HERE

This top is so cute & versatile. You can dress it up or down.

Comes in 15 patterns/colors!

Check it out HERE.

Another shirt I love is this one:

I want all 5 colors!

Check them out HERE

I also LOVE these booties.

This is my favorite color:

They come in 5 colors!

Check them out HERE

{SIX}

Lake Tahoe is my favorite.

We had one last summer hurrah in Tahoe this week & it was a blast.

We went to some of my favorite spots....

Hiking Emerald Bay:

Sand Harbor Beach:

This is my new favorite beach...I am obsessed.

I feel like I am in Hawaii when I come here :)

The Truckee River & River Trail is also one of our favorite places to check out in Tahoe.

And, gotta love Squaw...home of the 1960 Olympics!

Tahoe... you are my happy place, my favorite place.

{SEVEN}

Speaking of the Olympics.....

The Olympics are my FAVORITE, FAVORITE, FAVORITE!

I can't wait for the Opening Ceremony tonight!

My first memory of watching the Olympics was when I was 5 years old and I watched on TV as Mary Lou Retton won the gymnastics Gold in 1984 Summer Olympics. That started my obsession with the Olympics.

20 years ago, in 1996 my parents took my sisters and I on an epic family vacation to the Summer Olympics in Atlanta to see Women's Soccer and Track & Field.

On July 28 went to our first events....both games of the women's soccer semi finals. The USA won their game which meant they were going to the gold medal game. My parents knew how much soccer meant to me (and my sisters) so they changed our trip....instead of going to Charleston for the last part of our vacation, we stayed in Atlanta & they bought tickets for us to go to gold medal game! The US women ended up winning the gold & it was amazing to witness! Such awesome memories!

We got to see the US Women beat China in the gold medal game.

Such an amazing experience!

You can read more about our trip to the Olympics HERE

What are your favorite events to watch for the Summer games?

I love swimming, gymnastics & soccer!

{EIGHT}

Rodan + Fields sunscreen is my favorite.

Here are my favorites for when we are out in the sun:

- Essentials SPF 30 Body Sunscreen (my kids favorite sunscreen)

- Soothe SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen (for face and/or body)

- Reverse SPF 50 Sunscreen (I use this on my face)

-Redefine SPF 30 Hand Balm (I use this on my kids faces because it's a stick & super easy to apply)

- SPF 25 lip shield (comes in a 2 pack!)

Giving away FREE products is my favorite....so what I have done is I have ordered an EXTRA of each of these. So, for the first 5 people who become a preferred customer today, you will get your choice of which one of these FREE items you want! They range in price from $12-$30

First come, first serve!

We have products for all skin types including Acne:

And Sun Damage/Pregnancy Melasma:

We have another amazing special going on right now:

If you buy our Redefine Regimen & our AMP Roller, you get a box of Acute Care for FREE!
I love that I can offer you guys over $200 in FREE product!

All our products come with a 60 day empty bottle 100% money back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose for trying it out!

What is your biggest skin concern? I'm here to help!

Take this quick questionaire HERE to find out what products are best for your skin.

New preferred customers get 10% off your order, free shipping, and one of the sunscreens of your choice in the photo above!
Message me or email me for questions or to place a order!
melissa_larson17@yahoo.com

{NINE}

Party Planning is my favorite!

A certain someone is turning 4 next week & his party is this weekend.

I have been working on all the party details...

Luke can't wait for his "diggy" party!

{TEN}

Giveaways are my favorite.....be sure an come back on Monday for a week of giveways in honor of my 8 year blogoversary!!!!

You won't want to miss out...it's going to be a fun week!

Have a great weekend!