WHITE TRASH BIRTHDAY BASH!

Hey Ya'll! Yesterday was my birthday! Ugh, I'm so old now. :( But to prove that I'm still young, I threw an awesome party... It was a WHITE TRASH BIRTHDAY BASH! Here are the pictures with a bit of how-tos. Enjoy!

I bought this custom beer can windchime here on etsy! It was only $5!

Jen painted some awesome signs for the front door.

We filled up kiddie pools with ice. And beer.

We hung various shirts (Nascar, WWF, leopard print) and underwear (very large and very small) on a clothesline made of twine and poles.

Quartered McDonald's hamburgers on a bed of fries? Those were our appetizers!

We had a boys-only wet T-shirt contest.

The girls brought the trashy class!

For decorations, we put fake flowers in beer bottles and scattered them around.

Classic addition to any clothesline.

We had a unicorn pinata. And used underwear from the clothes line to cover our eyes.

Maybe Anthony needs the other pair...

Baby bumps and beer: classic white trash.

The setup crew!

Twinkie Cake!

Food: Besides the twinkie cake and McDonald's, we also had Jimmie Dean sausages wrapped in crescent rolls, BBQ ribs and burgers, and fresh guacamole.

Music: My playlist was awesome! Def Leppard, Christina Aguilera, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, Kansas, Journey, and so many more!

Decorations: We put fake flowers in beer bottles, used old sheets as tablecloths, and bought VHS tapes to use as props.

Meatloaf Night!

Last night, my friends and I had a meatloaf night.

What's that, you ask?

It's the time-honored tradition of asking everyone to bring a dish for an evening of food and fun, except we narrow "dish" to mean "meatloaf or things that go exceptionally well with it." 

I decided to make a sun-dried tomato and feta turkey meatloaf courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis. I've never made a meatloaf and it looked kinda funny when I was done, but everyone agreed, it was delicious! I forgot to take any pictures of it, but I do have a picture of my full plate!

Mine is the cubish item on the left side.

Also on the plate was

bacon cheeseburger turkey meatloaf

mashed potatoes

cheese loaf mac 'n cheese

turkey, spinach and asparagus meatloaf

caramelized squash

salad

Seriously, it was so delicious! And I've decided meatloaf is the easiest meal ever! I will definitely be experimenting with different types.

For the recipe I used, go here. And please share your delectable meatloaf recipes with me! I can't wait to try out more. :)

How To Clean Your Ceiling Fans With No Mess!

I found this tip on pinterest, by way of Real Simple.

At first, I was skeptical.

Everytime I try to clean my ceiling fan, dust falls all over my bed!

But this worked! And it was SO easy.

I'm not going to post a picture of my pre-clean ceiling fan because it's gross, but you know how it builds up on the sides and you can see it from below? Yuck.

Just imagine that.

Now, all you do is take a pillowcase (longer than your fan blades), hold one side of the open side in your hands, and roll it up like you would a wrapping paper roll. Then you slide it over the fan blade, careful not to disturb the dust until you're ready!

Once the pillowcase is over the whole blade, just slide your hand (over the case) down the blade, wiping all of the dust into the pillowcase! So easy! I used the same pillowcase for all 5 of my blades and while I was up there, I dusted the rest of the fan.

{via}

Once you're done, take the pillowcase outside, turn it inside out, shake it out, then wash it like normal.

Voila! Clean ceiling fan with NO mess! 

Little Glimpses

A little glimpse into my daily life - and phone pictures :)

{my fave boys! i've been babysitting for these munchkins for over 5 years now and it kills me to watch them grow up so fast!}

Those Who Don't Believe In Magic Will Never Find It.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I'm always looking for magic in my life. Today, I found this on pinterest and I felt it summed up my post so nicely that I just had to share it with you!

{via}

Spring Has Arrived!

I know the calendar still says winter, but my garden says it's spring. :)

I couldn't resist these colorful freesia last year, but I was so sad when they went dormant for winter. But last week, they came right back, brighter than ever!

Ciao Bella!

Guess what?

I am the luckiest girl in the world!

Wanna know why?

Because I am going...

to Italy!!

{Florence, Italy via}

My tickets are booked, my guidebook is highlighted, and my bags are packed!

Well, no, that last part isn't true. But I AM constantly making lists of things I want to pack.

Come May 8th, I'll be on my way to Italia along with my good friend, Lindsay! We have two weeks to explore Venice, Florence, and Rome and their surrounding areas.

{Dusk, Piazza Navona, Rome Italy via}

I can't even imagine the photos, the food, the souvenirs, and experiences we will come back with. It will surely be a life-changing trip and I can't wait!

{Lucca, Tuscany, Italy via}

To get ready for this journey, I (of course) turned to blogland and found some fun, funny, awesome blogs written by Americans who now live in Italy. These ladies have been so helpful: with restaurant recommendations (mmm...gelato), beautiful photo spots, even quiet places in their cities that really make you feel like you're in another time.

Here are a few of my faves:

Ciao, Christy!

Burnt By The Tuscan Sun

Mozzarella Mamma

Rubber Slippers In Italy

Do you know of any good travel blogs?

Even better, let me know if you have any fun Italy travel tips to share with me!