Mandii's Muse

Well, we are creeping closer and closer to Christmas. Way back at the beginning of the month I gave you my Christmas shopping update. Part one is here ! Here is part two of this mini series. So, my Christmas cards are out! Granted, I didn't have a lot to send out. The ones to my close friends are written, stamped, and in the mail. The only gifts I need to shop for are my Aunt, and Uncle. I still have no clue what to get them. I have ordered my mom and grandma's gifts. I have even begun to wrap some gifts! I'd like to be completely done by the 23. I don't want to be baking, and wrapping and be completely stressed out on Christmas Eve. I might be putting in some later nights, but it will be worth it. Now cooking is a different story. I make a quiche, bread, Italian butter, and Christmas Eve dessert. I'm glad that I can make some things ahead. The Italian butter, quiche, and bread can be made ahead. So I plan to make some of these after I get home from work o...

Maybe you are hosting Christmas breakfast. Perhaps you don't want to look like you just rolled out of bed in those wonderful Christmas morning photos. Today's post is all about looking presentable, in a short amount of time. Picture this scenario. You just rolled out of bed. You are looking like a hot mess. Your guests will be at your house for Christmas breakfast in 2 hours. You want to spend 30 minutes tops on getting ready. Here are some suggestions! Face: I personally would skip foundation, but if you need something in a pinch, powder foundation is a quick way to get coverage. I've been loving Laura Geller's Baked foundation. To save time, I don't do a complete eye look. I definitely fill in my eyebrows!! Black liner on the waterline, and tightline give the effect of full lashes. I curl my lashes, and apply two coats of mascara. To make you look more awake, highlight the inner corners of your eyes with a matte eyeshadow (like Brulee from Wet N Wild!) L...

Image It is no secret that Christmas is approaching very fast. Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends, not our phones. I've found that a lot of people today don't know how to spend time with one another. So I've come to give you some suggestions! Instead of having people segregate to one area of the house here are some things you can do as a family that will get you laughing and spending time with one another as a family. I love to gather my family around and watch home movies! There is nothing like gathering around the television commenting on how much everyone has changed . If you don't have home movies, pull out some old photos! Younger kids would love seeing their parents as youngsters. My family and I also love to play board games! Some of our favorites are Uno, and Dominoes (also known as Mexican trains) Password, Catchphrase, and Yahtzee. This gets everyone together and engaged with one another. If nothing else, turn off the TV, place a...

I was looking for something fun to add to my room to brighten it up a bit. I found this tutorial on Pinterest, and finally decided to try it. The best part? It was so simple! All you need is an 8x10 picture frame, scrapbook paper, and a vis a vis marker. All I did was use the template in the frame to cut the size of my scrapbook paper. I placed it inside the frame, applied the back, and flipped it over. I took the vis a vis marker and wrote a message on the glass. I like that marker because it lasts, and I can just wash it off with some Windex. I had this green paper in mine frame for a while, but now that the holidays are here, I swapped it out for some gold sparkly paper. This is simple right? If you are looking for some last minute gifts, this is a great idea!

I'm such a simple person to shop for. I like most anything that people buy for me. I have a wide range of interests, so you could get me anything from something sports related, a cookbook, a wide range of CD's and DVD's, and clothing. So here are a few things on my Christmas list this year. Image Bon Jovi came out with a new CD! I have almost all of their CD's so I could add this to my collection! I love the Pioneer Woman's cookbooks ! Her cookbooks show you step by step photos, and are so easy to understand. I like that she makes real food, and uses real readily available ingredients. I have her Year of Holiday's cookbook and it is fabulous! Her new book Dinnertime is on my list! Image A new planner is definitely on my list. I loved my old one, and use it to keep track of my work days, TV shows, and appointments in it! Plus, no Christmas list of mine would be complete without some lipstick and nail polish wants. (Let's face it, I don't n...

Alright, I took a total of two pictures for Thanksgiving. #badblogger My aunt hosted dinner this year and she set an absolutely beautiful table. I wish we both would have gotten a picture of it, because it was so pretty! My family was in charge of two sides: green bean casserole, and cranberry applesauce. I made a chocolate pecan pie, since I don't like pumpkin pie. Our plate looked something like this:  This was last year's plate, but this year looked very similar! There were eight of us, but we probably could have fed 38 people! Our family knows how to cook, and cook for many VERY WELL!  After dinner and dessert, we kind of became entranced with the 5 hour train ride to Healy, Alaska on Destination America. I mean, we could blame the food coma we were in, but we were all loving it!  It was a rainy, foggy day, but I promise that's Pittsburgh! Saturday after Thanksgiving, my family headed to Pittsburgh to meet up with my aunts and uncles, and cousins o...

Well, it is no secret that I have totally slacked on the blog front. I honestly have no excuses. I got so wrapped up in working, family life, and other activities that I just didn't blog. So with that, I'm sorry. Lucky for you though, I have December's posts already planned out, so you better get ready for some fun posts! So let's try to catch you up on what I've been up to since my last blog! So I celebrated my Grandma's 90th birthday with a dinner at her favorite restaurant with some of my aunts and uncles, and cousins. I played my instruments in church a for a few Sunday's, and also baked some food for the church's Thanksgiving dinner. Duke basketball started back up, and I have been busy rooting for them! It is a completely different team then last year, but once we get a few more games under our belt I think we will be really good! I met one of my best friends for dinner at a fun restaurant. We both love Mexican food, so it was perfect! I ...

Well, we are only a few weeks away from Christmas!! I am so excited!! It is one of my favorite times of the year! My birthday is coming up, Christmas, and time spent with family cannot be beat! With that being said, how is your Christmas shopping going? Image Last year, and this year I have done most of my shopping online. I've placed orders with Amazon, LTD Commodities, and QVC. I have a few online orders to place, then I will need to head into some brick and mortar stores to complete the shopping. Left on my list to buy for is my Grandma, Aunt, Uncle, and Great Grandpa. I have NO CLUE what to buy them! Do you have any suggestions for me? Let me know if you do! I tried to set goals for myself this year. I would like my Christmas cards to go in the mail somewhere in the December 11-13 range. I want to have all of my Christmas shopping done and wrapped by December 20 at the LATEST! This way when the busyness of the season is here, I don't have to be wrapping presents o...

I'm back! I've missed you readers! I will fill you in on my absence later in the week, but tomorrow is the first day of December! What?! I am sure this month will absolutely fly by. Today, I'm linking up with Andrea to share with you some of my favorite stocking stuffers. A lot of my stocking growing up were mainly filled with some essentials. Even now, my stocking is filled with little goodies, but there is always an orange at the bottom. Here are a few items that I've put in the stockings I've filled, and also I've received in my stockings. I love getting little beauty items in my stocking. Lipstick or lip balm, nail polish, headbands, perfume, and mini lotions are great! I think essential items are also useful. There is always those tiny things that you use every day that you forget to replace. Toothbrush heads, or a toothbrush, Tide to go pens, socks (you know you have holes in your socks!), and accessories for your phone. If you wanted to fill your...

Today I am linking up with Shay to say "What's Up" on this Wednesday. I think linkups are a great way to get to know the writer behind the blog. Plus, in my case since I've been slacking a little on the blog front, it gives you a chance to get to know me better! What I'm Eating This Week: My parents made spaghetti sauce, so I am going to be eating some spaghetti! I have been hungry for tacos, so I'm putting that on the menu as well! The cooler weather is here, so I am thinking that one night is a good soup and sandwich night!  What I'm Reminiscing About: I have got the travel bug, so I have been thinking about my trips to New York City recently. I'm definitely a country girl at heart, but I do love to spend a weekend in the Big Apple sightseeing. What I'm Loving: Right now, I am loving Fall. I love the cozy clothes, the warm drinks, the leaves changing, and the upcoming holiday's approaching.  What I've Been Up To...

I'm back! I swear I have one good week of blogging, and then a horrible week. I need to really get better at this. Those of you that know me and read this blog, know that I am a frugal gal at heart. So that is why today's link up is perfect! I'm linking up with Andrea today, to share with you my favorite Fall finds under $50. Image My first favorite is this boutique called KenLeeCait . I bought this top (and could not love it more!), and I have another few items in my cart. Most of her pieces are under $50, and so darn cute. Definitely check it out! My next favorite is gel nails. My mom and aunt got manicures with gel nails on Friday. I wanted to wait until closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas to get mine done with gel. So I painted mine at home. But they are already starting to show some tip wear, and have sheet marks (the worst) in them. So for the $30 at the nail place, I think it is worth it. There is no cure time, and it lasts. A win, win! Most of you know ...

Last weekend I headed on over to a local college for a tailgate party. Fall+Football+Food=A Happy Mandii. I wanted to show you what I wore, even though you can't see the whole outfit! You can just mix and match your items to your favorite team! The tailgate was hosted at Youngstown State University. If you happen to know who Jim Tressel is, he used to coach at YSU, then he moved on to Ohio State University, then he got into some trouble. He had a stint in the NFL as a coordinator of some sort, now he is the President of YSU. I say all of that to say this, I root for many college football teams. I root for Ohio State University. I love what Urban Meyer has done with the team, and for us to win a National Championship last year with three different quarterbacks was a pretty big deal. When I was in Ohio a few weeks back, I saw this Ohio state t-shirt, and knew that it belonged in my shopping cart. I paired it with a white tank underneath, and wore some skinny jeans. I wore my red ...

Today is Friday! We made it! Only a little while longer and the weekend will officially be here! A bonus for me is that today is payday! Too bad most of my money will be used for bills. Womp womp. Today, I'm linking up with Andrea to share with you some of my Friday favorites! My best friend and I enjoyed some delicious Greek food a few weeks ago, and I have been craving it since then! There was so much food! This picture doesn't even include the Greek salad they gave me. It was definitely worth the money plus, I got to spend the day with my bestie! Close to my house there has always been a man who plants an endless array of flowers. He goes on the honor system, and you can cut your own. I love having fresh flowers in my room! So since anyone has never bought me flowers, I took matters in my own hands! There is a family of three deer living in the field behind my house. While the quality is really blurry in this picture, this is one of the deer!  Even though t...

Every weekend in October Freedom Farms is hosting a Fall Festival. If you are local, I highly suggest you check it out! Freedom Farms is a family run farm that was featured on the GAC series Farm Kings. I went to their festival a few years ago, and they have continued to expand it since then! If you go, make sure to tell me about it in the comments! I can't wait to see the fun you had!

This shirt dress is so stinking old. However, I think it is such a classy outfit. I purchased mine at JC Penney ages ago, but I am sure you can find them in any department store today. The brand name on this dress is American Living. I love the blue and white vertical stripes on this dress. I accented mine with a red tank underneath and I also wore red shoes. I kept my jewelry simple with a gold watch and earrings. This outfit is great for church or the workplace. I wore this outfit to church and school. For church, all I did was swap out my lower red shoes for red high heels. I love multipurpose outfits like that! Do you have a favorite shirt dress that you wear? I'd love to hear about them! Leave me a comment and let me know! It's Wednesday, so I am linking up with the Pleated Poppy !

Four day weekends are just the best. THE BEST. There isn't as much pressure on you like a typical work week, and you can plan activities without any pressure. This weekend was filled with so many fun Fall activities that I wouldn't mind reliving again. Friday, I laid low and prepared for the nice long weekend ahead. I ran to Costco to grab some groceries with my parents and climbed into bed early that night. Saturday was such a busy day. In the morning, my mom and I met my aunt at a local Fall Festival. It was the most perfect Fall day. There was such a great crowd, and both my mom, aunt, and I all got some Christmas shopping done early. Later that afternoon, my parent's and I headed to Youngstown State University to catch a game and a tailgate! Listen, tailgate food is just so darn delicious. I consumed way too many calories, but for a once a year type thing I can swing it. Again, it was the perfect weather for some food and football! Sunday, I went to church. Afterw...

Hi Readers! I hope you are enjoying your Columbus Day! I am busy enjoying my last day of a wonderful four day weekend! If you want to know what I've been up to over the past 4 days, check out tomorrow's blog post! Hope you have a great day!

I call these pants my sassy pants. I bought them a few years ago at Marshall's. They were only $10, and I felt like I could get some use out of them during the summer months. The thing I love most about these pants is the color selection. The polka dots are in different colors, so the corresponding shirt can be in a different color as well. I chose to pair mine with orange and turquoise tanks. I have also worn this with a black tank and accessorized with jewelry. These pants are sheer, but there are shorts that come to your thigh on the inside so you aren't giving everyone a show. They are light and definitely cool and comfortable on a summer day. Since these pants are long, I wore really high black wedges, and as you can see they were still on the ground a little. I was successful, and did not trip OR fall while wearing these!! Yes! *I'm aware that the season is now Fall, but I wanted to share with you this last Summer outfit.* I promise that my tanks were...

How beautiful is this image? Usually once school starts back up again, I am ready for Fall. Mother Nature has a different story usually, and we get some of our hottest weather in September. Lately, there has been a chill in the air, and I love being able to wear my leopard, and break out my darker lipsticks and nail polishes. There is something about being able to bake warm apple cinnamon bread, and cozy up to warm apple cider or hot tea. Not to mention, the beauty of the leaves changing is something pretty special as well. Today, I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite Fall things. Although I have blogged about these before, I wanted to share them again because they are worth repeating. I can't wait to try this recipe again! It was so good, and warm and comforting.  I can't wait to get more apples to make it! I have already placed an apple and cinnamon wax cube into my wax warmer. Some of my favorite Fall scents can be found here ! Anything with pumpkins, app...

If you were wondering where I've been, you can find part 1 of my September post here! Like I said before, I find it hard to believe that today is October 1. I blinked and September was gone. One night after work, my Bubba (grandma) made stir-fry. She hasn't made it in years, and my parents always used to rave about how good hers was "back in the day." So I finally got to try it, and it was so good! We had salad and bread to go with our meal, but I only took a picture of the stir-fry. She can definitely make that again! This past month we also continued our bad luck at Cleveland Indians games. Do you remember this game where we had tickets to go and couldn't find a parking spot because of a fire? We got our "redemption" tickets for Sept. 12. Whoo! The day came and it was gray and cloudy. It rained the entire drive to Cleveland. It rained through the start time. Yes folks, we were in a rain delay. My mom said at 9:30 that if they didn't call the ga...

I'm a big fan of frugality. If I have a wedding or special event to go to, I don't want to spend a boatload of money on a dress I could possibly only wear once. Most of my dresses for these occasions are found at Ross Dress 4 Less. I'm a huge fan of their store. I can almost always find an item of clothing, accessory, or household item I want to buy every time I go in there. (And I have bought several things on a whim!) I wanted to share with you what I wore to my cousin's wedding. Her wedding took place at 5:30 at a country club. It was going to be very hot that day, so I knew that I wanted a lighter fabric to keep me cool since the ceremony and cocktail hour were outside. I tried on several dresses, but as it usually is, the first one is the one you end up with. I tried this dress on first, and immediately loved it. My dress was by Enfocus Women. I loved the color combination of pink and gray. I loved the little ruffles on the skirt portion. I also loved that it was...

Like I said yesterday, hello! Welcome back! I promise that I haven't forgotten about this wonderful blog! Honestly, I have no clue where the month of September went. Where did it go?! I blinked, and started working again, and here it is almost the end of the month. I wanted to give you a little glimpse as to what my September has looked like so far. I'm splitting it into two parts because there has been a lot! The beginning of September started with my getting some work in on the second day of school. The school I work for has subs floating around sometimes to help teachers our with anything extra they may need. It helps the teachers out, and I actually really like floating. The second day of school happened to fall on a Tuesday. That meant $5 hamburgers at a local restaurant. So I met up with my grandparents and parents to enjoy the food.  (It also happened to be 95* outside, and classrooms were well into the 90 degree mark as well.) So cool air conditioning and ice cream...

Hello! Do you remember me and this blog?! I have neglected it for far too long. I will share what I've been doing since my last post throughout this week, but I wanted to begin my Monday with a fun linkup. Fall is here, and it is one of my most favorite times of the year. I love the days where a light vest or jacket is all you need. The leaves begin to change, and there is a crisp coolness in the air. Today, I am linking up with Andrea to show you some of my favorite scarves! *I am telling you about scarves I own, but the pictures will be found online.* Mine is similar The first scarf that I get the most wear out of is my leopard scarf. I love, love, love a leopard scarf! You can wear a leopard scarf with just about anything and it instantly dresses up an outfit. In the Fall, I love pairing this with olive greens, or deep burgundy tones. My scarf is lightweight chiffon, and is perfect for any season! My next scarf that I love is my Burberry scarf . Now, I can't affo...

Can I get an amen for 4 day weekends?! There are so many exciting events happening this weekend that it will be busy, but full of family, friends, and good times. I'm linking up with Andrea today to share with you some of my favorites! Ladies and Gents, this outfit was on repeat this Summer! It was definitely a favorite for sure! Those shoes...there will be more in my closet. So.Comfortable! I know it is horrible for you, but this is a favorite breakfast from McDonald's! Sausage biscuit and a hash brown. I found this canvas at Marshalls, and regret not buying it. :( I have been more into quotes, and Scripture verses this Summer. Finding quotes like this one is definitely a favorite! What are some of your favorites? I'd love to read about them! Leave me a comment and let me know!

I feel like I haven't done a What I Wore post in a while. That's going to change soon. I will be posting some outfits more regularly. As a side note, I went shopping and bought some new clothes, and I cannot wait until the weather gets a bit cooler and I can wear them (and show you of course)! Today, I wanted to share with you an outfit that I wore to church this past Sunday. Aanndd, I'm wearing shoes and you still can't see them!  I wouldn't consider myself a huge dress person. I feel more comfortable in jeans or pants, but I am slowly turning a corner. Dresses are feminine, flowy, and cool. This dress was a part of my recent LuLaRoe haul . I wanted to show you how to pair this dress in the Summer, and when the temps dip lower, I will show you how to style it for Fall. My dress is the Julia, and it is light and comfortable. I paired mine with a red necklace that my cousin made, and a pair of red high heels. I threw on a simple red lip, and I was ready to go...

Our world changed forever on September 11. It is a day I will never forget. September 11, is my era's JFK assassination. You always remember where you were when it happened, and it changed the nation.  The one thing that I remember about that day was how beautiful of a day it was. Crystal clear blue skies, and warm temperatures. I was sitting in my 8th grade English class. Our principal came over the loudspeaker and told the teachers to turn on the television. I remember seeing the towers, the dust, the fires. I remember not knowing what was going on fully, and being worried. I remember wanting to go home so badly.  When class was dismissed, the attacks were what everyone was talking about. A few people were crying. I remember hearing teachers talking about it in the hallway. It was really hard to concentrate the rest of the day. I remember that the day dragged on forever, and I was never so happy as to when it was time to go home. My mom picked me up and we talked abou...