Mandii's Muse

I am not entirely sure when a book has touched me more. If I could have highlighted this entire book, I would have. The Confident Heart by Renee Swope is a book that every Christian woman should read. To preface, I am a worrier, a comparer, a feeling not enough-er. I would almost always doubt myself saying things like "I'm not pretty enough," I'm not smart enough or qualified enough to do this particular task." I believed these lies I was telling myself. Until I read this book, and it completely changed my way of thinking. For example, I have always had this hang up about what other people think of me. Do they think I'm weird for knowing a lot about sports? Do they think I'm strange because I am trying to save money and still live at home with my parents? What do people think that I am substitute teaching still, 5 years after graduating college?  I read this quote: 'We become overly concerned about what others think of us instead of what God thinks ...

I'm linking up with Andrea and Erika  today to share with you my New Year's Resolutions! I actually shared them a while back, so you can find them here ! How are you coming with your resolutions? Still on track? Let me know! Leave me a comment and tell me how you are doing!

Image I only recently started drinking coffee. I prefer the flavored variety. Think French Vanilla, Mocha, Caramel. I definitely have my favorites from both Dunkin and Starbucks, but don't always have the cash to buy those drinks. #flavoredcoffeeisexpensive So, thanks to my handy dandy Keurig (love!) and Pinterest (double love!) I can have my flavored coffee at home! I have been known to waste coffee creamer. I'm not the type of person who needs to have a cup of coffee to get my day started. I'm more of a mid afternoon, lazy day sip type of gal. So making my own was a perfect alternative. I found this recipe on Pinterest and tried it immediately! I got the recipe from Mrs. Happy Homemaker . I bet you could whip up a batch right now with the simple ingredients! All you need is 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 and 3/4 cup of milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix all ingredients into a large jar and mix well. Chill and serve in your coffee!  She has rec...

I am so stinkin' glad it is Friday! It is payday, and dress down day, so it can't be all that bad! Even though it was a four day week, they usually seem to drag on. Why is that? I definitely plan on enjoying every bit of this weekend. I'm linking up with Andrea to share with you some of my Friday Favorites!! Image I have been watching and loving the Hallmark Winterfest and Countdown to Valentine's Day movies. More info on this book later but, this books has absolutely changed my heart. Who are you rooting for this weekend for the football games? I like Peyton and Tom, so I don't know who to root for! What are your plans for this weekend? I'd love to hear about them! Leave me a comment and let me know!

I love anything to do with caprese. The flavors are so fresh, the colors are beautiful, and the flavor combinations are out of this world! With this recipe, I'm not reinventing the wheel. I'm just making it more portable, and appetizer friendly. Ingredients: Grape or cherry tomatoes Tortellini pasta Mozzarella balls Pesto (homemade or jarred) Grated cheese Parsley Mozzarella balls that are marinated are expensive. So I got the brilliant idea to use my leftover Italian butter from Christmas and put the balls in there. I left them in the sauce for 3 days, and made the skewers. Easy as pie, and they turned out great! I cooked up the tortellini pasta according to package directions. (I wish I would have cooked them a minute less because some of them broke when I put them on the skewer because they were too done.) I alternated ingredients on the skewer, tomato, mozzarella, pasta until there were two of each on the skewer. I also just made skewers until I ran out of ing...

I always get a pretty good mix of practical and fun gifts for Christmas. I am the type of person that typically doesn't hate any gifts people buy for me. I had some "oh, I've always wanted one of these" moments, and that is usually the reaction gift givers are looking for. Image First up, practical gifts! The first practical gift I received was a 2 quart crock pot. I have a gigantic 7 quart one, but most recipes call for a smaller size. I was able to use this already for New Year's to keep rice warm, and it worked perfectly! Next up was a Snackeez. Listen, I know that I am 28 years old. I have an obsession with travel mugs. I am telling you, this thing is genius. I can put a drink and a snack in one package. I've already tested this, and I love it! Trust me, if you don't have one, you are going to want one. Image Next, big gifts! I got a few bigger gifts this year. From my parent's I got an iHome. My old alarm clock worked well, but with th...

Do you follow The Small Things Blog ? I have followed that blog for a while, and always have a case of serious hair envy when watching Kate's tutorials. One product she is always touting is a texture powder. So I stopped into one of my favorite stores, Ulta, to browse their selection. I asked one of the helpful consultants and she showed me one by Big Sexy Hair. The only problem was it was almost $17. I was hesitant to buy that because A.) I am frugal and B.) I didn't want to spend that much money on a product I wasn't sure if I would like. Image So the consultant steered me towards one from Batiste. I have heard rave reviews of their dry shampoos, and this powder was significantly less money. So I decided to try that one. Batiste XXL Plumping Powder is a texture powder. I really, really like this product! I just section off my hair and sprinkle the tiniest amount of powder in my hair. Then, I just fluff my hair and tease if necessary. I can use this powder when my ...

December is and always will be a crazy busy month. I wanted to share with you some other events that went on in the month as well! First snowfalls are really pretty.   One of the good things about being sick, a Rocky marathon.  I absolutely LOVE Elmo, so when I saw him in a store, I had to get a picture! My future children will love Elmo. Haha!  Kraynaks is a store where they have toys, ornaments, and displays set up that you can walk through for Christmas and Easter. I collect nutcrackers so that picture was an obvious one to get. Since Frozen has been THE movie of the year, I had to get a picture of Anna, Elsa, and Olaf.  These were just some of the other happenings in December. What did you do? Leave me a comment and let me know! 

Image A new year means resolutions! I have some resolutions that I want to share with your for this year, but let's take a look back at last year and the resolutions I made.  I break my resolutions down into categories, and will do the same for this year! Environment: Last Year: To buy items locally.  How I Did: Honestly, I probably failed on this one. I purchased some items locally, but probably not enough to count.  I plan to restart this resolution this year and make a conscious effort to buy locally, support small businesses, and independent business people.  Health: Last Year: Drop some pounds! How I Did: I did really well until work started. Then work started and I got lazy, and put a few of those pounds back on.  I would like to lose an additional 25 pounds this year and tone up. I am committing to eating clean 5 days a week, and 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week. I know I can do this! Beauty: Las...

How is it 2016 already? Time sure does fly! So, I was really bad about taking pictures for New Year's. It is a relatively low key event for my family. My grandparents and aunt and uncle came out for New Year's Eve. My family decided on a taco bar, and it was a HUGE hit! I got to use some present and former Christmas presents which I love! My fondue pot came in handy for keeping the queso warm, and my new 2 quart crockpot was great for keeping the rice warm.  My mom, aunt, uncle, and I started off the night playing Uno. Funny story, there was a time a few Christmases ago where they got me an Uno game for 3 years straight.It is now a running joke in our family! Then, we played Dominoes or Mexican trains. I love, love, love this game! I don't play it enough, so I am going to have to have a "game night" and have some of my friends play it with me. Have you ever played this game? Cashew, Clarice, and I right before the ball dropped. He was in bed, I was heading for...

All good things must come to an end I guess. I love Christmas. The moments leading up to Christmas, carols playing, candelight Christmas Eve service, Christmas morning. Gift giving and receiving, Christmas afternoon naps. All of it. So I guess I will have to wait until next year, but I wanted to share with you some of the fun from this Christmas! This is NOT tea.  Right after my birthday, I got sick. With bronchitis. I could.not.stop.coughing. I had no voice, and no energy. It was horrible. I suffered with a cold/sinus crud all through Christmas. The days leading up to Christmas were a complete blur. I worked, then was usually out running errands until 9 then came home and got prepped for the big day. One trip I did enjoy was getting my favorite Wedgewood Pizza. Christmas Eve Eve I worked a half day. I came home and finished wrapping some gifts. Luckily, there wasn't a whole lot left to wrap! Then I made my Italian butter, and salad dressing for Christmas Eve dinner. ...