Mandii's Muse

Can I just ask where the month of July has gone? Is it really the last day of the month already? The rest of the summer needs to just take a chill pill. Anyone else feeling the same way I do? I'm linking up with Andrea today to share with you some of my favorites of this week! 1. I stopped at Lowes and spied a hummingbird moth. I love nature sometimes. Keep an eye out for them! They have a long beak like a hummingbird, but look like a moth.  2. My parents and I went for ice cream at our local hot spot. I can't get enough chocolate milkshakes this year! Ice cream is definitely a favorite! 3. This is going to be strange but...I got a slight sunburn (I even had SPF on!) and I am going to say that is a partial favorite. It means the sun has been out!!! 4. I promise that this "storm" was not that bad. It barely rained and there was about two claps of thunder. It definitely looked worse than it really was. What was you favorite part of...

Image I am back with another edition of Owning It. Did you enjoy the last one where I shared some of my craziness with you? I am here to say that I am crazy, so here are some more things that I can own! 1. I have only rode a bike a total of 4 times in my life. I had a bad experience when I was younger, and became scared. My grandpa pushed me from the top of the field in my backyard. I kept gaining speed and didn't know where the brakes were, so I had to fall off my bike before I hit the driveway. So after that incident, I haven't ridden. I'm 27 now, and I think I can push that experience to the back of my brain to try again. Haha! 2. I used to be scared to death of Beauty and the Beast when I was younger. Remember that one part where the Beast sees an old picture of himself and he slashes it and all you could see were his eyes? Freaked me out!! Would not watch it after that part came on. I'm cured now! I can watch it without problem now!  ;) 3. I can probably...

I made this lasagna recipe, and I think my grandma declared it the best thing she's ever eaten. She kept going back to the dish, and cutting off a small slice. Each time she would say, "This is so good!" So, if only she liked it, my day was made. However, every member of my family loved this dish, and I know you will too! It is a perfect way to use up Summer vegetables, and enjoy a delicious meal! My comments are in italics! Vegetable Lasagna Ingredients: 1 container (15oz) ricotta cheese 1 egg 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1Tbls olive oil 2 cups zucchini shredded 1 red bell pepper chopped 1 pkg frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry 2 C French Fried Onions divided 3 cups prepared Alfredo sauce No boil lasagna noodles 2 C shredded mozzarella cheese divided 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Combine ricotta, egg, and Italian seasoning in a medium bowl. (I added some red pepper flakes, onion and garlic salt, and parsley to ...

Do you have that favorite soft t-shirt, or pair of leggings that you always put on because they are just so comfortable? Does your t-shirt and leggings come in unique prints? If not, you could be wearing the wrong thing!! I went to my first LuLaRoe party the other night. It was hosted by my mom's friend, and the consultant was my former 4th grade teacher. (Funny story, to this day, to her face, I cannot call her by her first name! It is just weird to me.)  LuLaRoe's motto is Simply Comfortable. Let me just tell you that it truly is!! The clothes are comfortable and stylish. They have a variety of styles for shoppers to choose from. Maxi skirts, dresses, leggings, t-shirts, tunics, and kimonos. At the party I went to, she had different areas set up around the house. In the living room was dresses, maxis, and t-shirts. In the television room, tunics, kimonos, leggings, and kids items. You just browsed around and picked out the items that you liked. You got to try them on in the...

I can't say that I have a ton of red, white, and blue in my life. One thing, is that I am proud to be an American. I'm proud to fly my flag. I am going to take you through some of my favorite red, white, and blue! One of my favorite red, white, and blue items are things that I can wear!! Here is an outfit that I wore last year for the 4th of July! It was casual and cool! This year, I LOVED the outfit I wore! It was simple, yet put together. My favorite "blue" jeans are the tighter tummy technology jeans from Lane Bryant. I am going to probably have to have them taken in because they are getting too big, (yay!) but I will not part with these. First, they are way too expensive. Second, I love that they are higher waisted. Not giving these up that easily. Haha! I feel that every woman needs a classic red lipstick. Some of my favorites are Revlon Matte Balm in Striking and Standout. I also love this one from Mirenesse. I also love how I decorated for the 4th, ...

If you missed my fitness journey/routine post, you can find it here ! See what I mean? Meet you at the finish line JJ!  I learned something about one of my favorite athletes the other day. JJ Watt is a defensive player for the Houston Texans. He works out like a fiend, and eats 6000-9000 calories a day! What?! Dude is a house. I'm pretty sure that if he was at the finish line of a marathon I could probably get there. I might be bloodied, bruised, needing an oxygen tank, AND a stretcher, but I could get there! Anyway, when I am working it out on the treadmill I need some things to keep me going. Otherwise, I get irritable and want to stop. Sometimes, I will use my treadmill time to pray. I know a lot of people in times of need, and I will pray for them. Pray for healing, strength, and wisdom. It is just me, the treadmill, and God. Oftentimes, I will listen to music which leads me to this post. I wanted to give you a list of my workout songs in case you are beginning on ...

Before Looking back at old pictures can be a happy time. However, when you were overweight like I was, it was difficult. Trying on clothes was the worst. Although some items are fashionable, it is hard to not look doudy when you are in some types of clothes. In February 2014, I knew that I needed to change. My mom's friend was a BeachBody coach, and was just starting her accountability group. I joined in and completed a five day clean eating challenge. It was hard at first. No pop, no sweets, very little bread. That was pretty much the staple of life for me. After the challenge, I lost about 4 pounds. I continued to eat mostly clean, and did the 30 day challenges my coach gave me. In the spring, and continued into the fall I walked 3 miles daily. Believe me, there were some days that I was grouchy, tired, sweaty, and just wanted a piece of chocolate cake. I have lost 30 pounds since my journey started. I am not at my goal weight yet, but I am getting there, slowly but surely....

I cut this recipe off of a box of stuffing mix. I am SO glad I did! It is delicious, and easy to put together! I've said it before, but don't throw away the boxes to things because there are some great recipes on there! I love bruschetta. It is quick to make, and tastes like you put a lot of time and effort into making it. So when I saw this bruschetta chicken bake recipe, I had to try it out! I love one pot meals! Bruschetta Chicken Bake Ingredients: 1 can diced tomatoes undrained 1 pkg stuffing mix for chicken 1/2 cup water 2 cloves garlic minced 1-1 1/2 pounds skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces 1 tsp dried basil (I used fresh!) 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese To Make: Preheat oven to 400*. Mix tomatoes, stuffing mix, water, and garlic just until combined. Layer chicken, basil, and cheese in 3 quart (I used 9x13) baking dish. Top with the stuffing mix. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is done. *I probably let my casserole cook for ...

If you missed part 1 of my weekend, you can find it here ! This recap starts on Sunday morning. Mount Summit Inn Sunday morning after breakfast, we decided to head out early. We cleaned up the house, and said our goodbyes to my aunt and uncle, my cousin, and her husband. We left without a plan, but quickly had one. We watched an episode of Treehouse Masters that build a treehouse at the Mount Summit Inn. (Do you watch that show?! It blows my mind every single time I watch it!) I plugged it into my GPS and it was 45 minutes away. We were on our way! We drove through Ohiopyle, and past Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob. Truly beautiful country scenery along the way. Pool Area My parents actually spent the first part of their honeymoon at the Mount Summit Inn, and on the way they kept reminiscing about how they remembered climbing the mountains to get there, how the food was included in the package. (It was so cute to listen to them tell me about this place!) When we got there,...

I hope that your 4th of July was as fun as mine was! My aunt and uncle invited us to stay at their neighbor's second home in Seven Springs, PA. I had never been to that area before so I was definitely excited to see a new part of the state! Plus, I love to travel and see new places! We arrived Friday around 2:30, and pull up to the townhouse. It is absolutely gorgeous! There were 5 bedrooms, and each were decorated with a "cabin" feel. We were slopeside, and near the ski lift. After unpacking, we went exploring! We were up on the mountain, so one of the ways to get to the lodge was the ski lift. I had never ridden one before, so my aunt and uncle gave us the tips, and we were going to give it a go. They told us that they don't put the bar down that will help hold you in. (WHAT?!?! They are braver than I!) Since I am 27 years old, and would like to get married and have a family one day, we put the bar down. Haha! I'm not really sure if I've ever been so ha...

It is Friday! I actually don't think it is supposed to rain today...but you never know. Here is what I loved about this past week! 1. Watching the Indians is always a FAVORITE! I don't get the channel they are on because I live in PA, but when they played the Pirates, I got to watch every single inning. In case you were wondering, Jason Kipnis is one of my FAVORITE players!  2. Holiday food is another FAVORITE. This was only half of the food we had for our 4th BBQ. It was delicious! 3. Speaking of food, I made this bruschetta chicken bake the other night, and it was really good. I will be posting the recipe soon! Only a few favorites today, and two of them were about food. LOL! I can't wait to read about some of your favorites! Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorites for the week were! Stay tuned next Monday and Tuesday because I am going to be posting about my 4th of July weekend! I can't wait for you to read ab...

Even though the weather around my area hasn't shown it, we are in the peak of summer! I love all that summer brings. Warm weather, picnics, vacations, and bronze, glowy skin. My July Birchbox was one of my favorite boxes I have ever received. I chose the Beachy and Bright box, and it was just that! Here is what I received! Juara|Radiance Enzyme Scrub: This is an exfoliating scrub that removes all of the dead skin and minimizes imperfections. Oribe|Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray: I could not wait to get this product!! I hope that this will give me the beachy waves I desire. Supergood|Anti-Aging Sunscreen Serum SPF 30: I am excited to try this sunscreen because of the serum aspect. I hate how regular sunscreen feels on my face, so I am hoping this is lighter and less pore clogging. Stila|Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick: This color is bright pink, and I love it! I am a bright lipstick gal, and with a tan, and a neutral eye, this will look great! theBalm|Balm Dese...

I'm not normally a "theme" dresser, but I can certainly get behind wearing the red, white, and blue! I love sporting our county's colors! On the actual holiday, I wore red and blue as well, but I thought this outfit was much more appropriate to blog about! I think the purpose of these posts is to inspire what you have in your closet, not necessarily the exact pieces. I considered this outfit a win! If I wanted to tweak it a little more, I could definitely pair this with red shorts, and some simple white canvas shoes. I also see this being worn to an Indians game since they utilize the same color scheme! My shirt is just simply a navy blue and white horizontal stripe.  (The only thing I wish, is that I would have gotten a picture of the back of the shirt. It has bow cutouts going down to about your bra line!)   My shorts I have had for ages and those came from JC Penney. I wish I could tell you where I bought my shoes, but I have no idea! My necklace was handmade...

I think everyone's beauty routine is different. We all cater to our specific needs, and pay attention to areas that need a little extra TLC. I'd like to think my beauty routine is not very complicated, but I do love playing around with makeup...even though I get stuck in a rut sometimes and use the same eyeshadow nearly every day! My routine changes from work to weekend, so I will tell you about my "weekend" look. I will try to keep this post as brief as possible. Image After my shower, I usually dry my hair and then get to work on my makeup. I always start by defining my eyebrows. I use Jordana's brow pencil FabUBrow. My shade is dark brown. Next, I will apply my Coastal Scents Step One eyeshadow primer. I place that from my lid to browbone. Next, a product I can NEVER be without is Jordana's 12 hour Made to last eyeshadow pencil. I use the shade continuous almond, and it is matte flesh tone color. It is tacky and makes shadow stick to it.  (I just ...

Image I wanted to wish you a very Happy 4th of July! You will probably find me wearing some red, white, and blue, and eating a hot dog, and hopefully enjoying some fireworks!  Have a happy, and safe 4th! Please remember those in the military who are continuing to protect our freedom.

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone! Chances are, I am on my way to a local resort with my parents, to spend the weekend with my aunt and uncle. I have never been to this resort before, so I am going to take a lot of pictures, and do a weekend review when I get back! I am linking up with Andrea today to share with you some of my Friday Favorites! 1. I may have squealed right in the middle of Wal-Mart when I found these! Listen, I watch the ESPN family of networks on the daily. So when I found these gems, my inner (well, my outer too) sports nerd just did a little happy dance! I wonder if I take these to a sporting event, if I could sneak in and be a member of the "media." Actually, touring ESPN, is on my bucket list. Plus, I'd love to be an ESPN reporter! 2. Did you see my post on the day I wanted to build an ark? It is quite the story, so if you haven't read it, you can find it here! 3. Tuesday was my parent's 31st wedding anniversary. I took them out to di...

Local Falls near my house The month of May was beautiful! Clear blue skies, and 80 degree temperatures with no humidity. June has NOT been so wonderful. I can't be sure, but I feel like it has rained almost every day this month. It has been awful! One day in particular was the most awful day. It was a Tuesday, and my mom and I went to the produce/flower auction. Of course we were under the threat of rain, but we journeyed anyway. After the auction, we had a few errands to run, and it kept getting darker. And darker. And darker! We were about  5 minutes from our house and it finally let loose. When I say it poured, I mean it POURED! We had the works, thunder lightening, torrential downpours. It lasted for what seemed like hours, but in actuality, probably an hour and a half. The aftermath was when I wanted to find Noah and have him build me an ark. My mom and I started to bail out our window well for what seemed like the 100th time that month. As soon as we would get three b...

My first college roommate texts me and asks me for the buffalo chicken dip recipe at least once every two months. I could eat this stuff by the spoonful. With all of the cream cheese, shredded cheese, and ranch goodness, comes inches to the waistline. Not cool buffalo chicken dip, not cool . So I scoured the internet for a skinny version. I found one on Gimme Some Oven . I made it, and was impressed with the taste! Here's the skinny version if you don't want to add extra inches to your waistline! Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese softened 1 c plain Greek yogurt 1 c shredded cheese (low fat if you can!) 1/2 c hot sauce (I like Frank's!) 1/2 c crumbled light bleu cheese A few squirts of ranch dressing 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a large can from Costco or Sam's)  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Place in a baking dish (mine was 8x8 I think) and sprinkle your cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and dip...