Owning It

I guest posted for Christina last week and did an Owning It post there, and since she's hosting a link up for it, I thought I'd add on to my list. You can see my original list here.

Whenever I use the oven, I feel like I'm gonna burn myself.

I don't even know why since this has never happened, but I especially "worry" when I'm taking out a big casserole or something else that's heavy and I can't help but visualize dropping it on myself, or something/someone else.

I'm a morning person.

 I have a hard time sleeping in anymore (I'll blame that on Cooper haha). But, I'd rather wake up early and be done with something sooner than have to stay late getting it finished.

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When I know that someone is fake, trying to be something they're not, or lying about something, it's hard for me not to make others try to see what's really going on.

I've been working on not responding to lies and people who like to create drama for no reason, because it's not worth my time. And I've found that people tend to see the real person without me saying a word. 

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The only marathon I'll probably ever participate in is one on Bravo. 

As much as I'd love to be able to say that I ran a marathon, I just don't see myself ever doing it. Bravo marathons on the couch are much more up my alley.

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Paper straws gross me out.
They're super cute and a great decoration. But, putting my lips on a paper product...ew. No thank you. 
I just got goose bumps thinking about it.

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I get anxiety (ok, not real anxiety) over parking sometimes.

Sounds weird right? But I always think about what the parking is like around places that I go. I think this "anxiety" has been engrained in me since living in an area where parking is super annoying. When MG and I lived in our condo, parking on the street was a nightmare, so I was always thinking about it then too. (He makes fun of me all the time about this, too :) In my book, driving around endlessly and aimlessly searching for a parking space stinks. 

That's probably (in part) because I hate being late.

I'm usually the person who arrives 5 minutes early somewhere. And the closer it gets to "on time" the more my heart rate increases. I really don't like it when people are late either, especially when you're meeting up in public, because then I'm sitting around looking like a loser for even longer ;)

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I like puns, play on words, and other funnies.

I like to laugh (who doesn't?) and language is kind of a huge part of my career, so it makes sense. I enjoy a corny joke every now and then. I enjoy the groan you get from a particularly silly/dumb pun...that's fun :)

And on that note, I leave you with this, on the last day of April:

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Thanks for letting me "own it" again Christina!

Pinspiration Wednesday

Some days it's easy to get bogged down by every day things, or other life happenings. But some of those times all you need is a reminder and a bit of inspiration to see the good:

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I hope your Wednesday is full of happy and positive things and people!

{Recipe Files}:Pizza Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms

I've been on a quinoa kick lately, and I've always wanted to make those portabella pizzas, so when I found this recipe, I knew I had to make it!

What You Need:

-4 large portabello mushrooms

-olive oil/spray

-3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

-8 oz tomato sauce (I used a marinara we love)

-2 cloves minced garlic

-1 Tbsp minced fresh basil

-1/2 tsp dried oregano

-1/2 tsp onion powder

-pinch of red pepper flakes (optional, but doesnt add heat)

-3/4 C mozzarella cheese, shredded

-salt and pepper

What You Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Spray both sides of the mushrooms with the olive oil spray and place them bottom-side down on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes.

3. While the oven is warming up/the mushrooms are baking, cook the quinoa according to package directions, until the water is cooked off. Once finished, add in the tomato sauce, garlic, basil, oregano, onion powder and red pepper flakes. Mix until well combined.

4. Remove the mushrooms from the oven and flip them over. Pat them dry if they are wet. Top each mushroom with the quinoa mixture (you may have some left over depending how deep your mushrooms are and that's ok). Then top each with mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake for another 10 minutes. You can serve them after this or broil the tops to brown the cheese (I didn't do this)

Enjoy this tasty and filling little meal! We each had one and were pretty stuffed afterwards. We also had some leftover quinoa that I wasn't able to get into the mushrooms, so we had it on the side for the leftovers the next day.

This was really easy, tasty, and healthy. A triple win!

Check out some more of my recipes on my Recipes Page

Weekend Highlights

I feel like any weekend that you go away, it always feels like it flies by!

This weekend was filled with family since we visited MG's family up in PA.

My weekend highlights included:

~Friday afternoon FaceTime gossip date with my buddy Shay and her cute little lovebug Nicholas

~Drove up to Philly instead of NJ because my BIL was sick with a stomach bug

~Had upside down pizza with my in-laws (ever heard of it? So delicious!)

~Hung out with my other SIL and BIL, the nieces and nephew, and some of their friends who'd come over

MG got attacked by the girls :)

~On Saturday morning MG's dad was incredibly amazing and hooked us up with a contractor's discount on a new, custom-made vanity for our guest bathroom including the granite top.

Can't wait to get it all made, and installed!

~Got to pick out granite from the lot like they do on the home improvement shows

~Went to my nephew's soccer game

~Got to hold a super newborn little kitten that MG's parents' neighbors took in because it had been abandoned

Look how tiny!!!!

~Helped my in-laws pick out new paint colors and flooring for their living room

~This little nugget tagged along:

~The rest of the family came over that night and we all hung out at MG's parents house and got to catch up some more

~Gave my oldest niece one of my college sweatshirts since she's a big fan of my alma mater--kinda neat seeing her in something I used to wear

I loved how excited she was to wear it.

~Left early Sunday morning to have brunch at my SIL's place in NJ since my BIL was feeling better. 

~Took a walk around the lake by their house after a bunch of delicious food!

~Drove home, Cooper passed out from all of the fun from the weekend

~Ran our errands with the windows down and sunroof open

~Enjoyed the amazing weather on the deck in our new zero gravity chairs

~MG grilled special-made burgers on our grill for dinner

~Couch snuggles unwinding for the night

~Game of Thrones and bed

Phew! No wonder it went by so fast! We packed a bunch in. It's always awesome to see everyone and get to spend time together--I really wish that we all lived closer.

I hope your weekend was awesome and fun-filled, too!

Linking up with these pretties today:

Friday Faves!

Happy Friday, lovies! Can you believe that it's the last Friday of April?? Seriously, where is the time going??? And the weather around here certainly doesn't know that it's Spring--we took a plummet in the temps the past couple of days and I'm back to wearing long sleeves and jackets! No bueno!
This week has been a super busy one for me, so I'm definitely ready for the weekend. But first,

let's get to some favorites, shall we?

Friday Favorites // Friday Favorites // Oh Hey Friday// 5 on Friday

{1}-Another Shaun T hit

Did you guys see that Shaun T is coming out with a new exercise routine called Cize...and it's a DANCE workout??? I dunno about you but I am going to be all over this! 

I always knew that those times I danced around the house like a fool were worthwhile ;)

{2} Quote
For when you get obsessed about what you're eating, feeling like you can't have anything good, or have to limit yourself an insane amount:

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{3} Healthy Eats
I'm always on the lookout for a tasty and healthy meal and I've been finding new ways to add quinoa into meals, or just have it take over a meal since quinoa is such a good source of protein. This week I made Pizza Quinoa Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms and it was SO delicious, and surprisingly filling! I've gotten lots of comments from people about how tasty-looking my meals have been lately, and the hubs has definitely been impressed, too, so that makes me happy. Stay tuned next week for that recipe, but in the meantime, here's a sneak peek:

{4} Funnies

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All the dog lovers/owners can relate to this one:

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When you see someone wearing something they think they look like hot sh*t in, but no one else thinks so:

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{5} Weekend Plans

Can't wait to see these crazies! :)

MG and I are heading up to see his family this weekend. We're staying at my one SIL's house in New Jersey for one night (we never get to stay at their house, so that'll be nice), seeing the girls' track meet on Saturday morning, and then heading to PA to see my in-laws, and my other SIL and her family. We always have a good time when we're with them and it's been too long since we've seen them all. I'm ready to get in some good family time with all of my in-laws and my nieces/nephew!

Hopefully you have some fun stuff to get into this weekend--or a totally relaxing one. Whatever you need out of this weekend, I hope you get it!
Catch you on the flip side!

{Book Review}:Tell No One

***Before I get to my book review, make sure you stop over at the super sweet Christina's blog. She asked me to do a guest post about Owning It while she's away soaking up the sun, so go check it out and leave some love!***

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On my amazing vacation to the Dominican, I was able to rip through 4 different books. Luckily I had a stock pile of them just waiting for me on my Kindle.

By far, my favorite that I read was Tell No One by Harlan Coben. It was recommended to me by Katie, and I really really enjoyed it. I'm currently reading another one by this author, too!

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Here is part of the Goodreads synopsis:

"For Dr. David Beck, the loss was shattering. And every day for the past eight years, he has relived the horror of what happened. The gleaming lake. The pale moonlight. The piercing screams. The night his wife was taken. The last night he saw her alive.

Everyone tells him it's time to move on, to forget the past once and for all. But for David Beck, there can be no closure. A message has appeared on his computer, a phrase only he and his dead wife know. Suddenly Beck is taunted with the impossible- that somewhere, somehow, Elizabeth is alive."

The book was gripping right off the bat, and I kept reading to find out what happened. I kept trying to figure out what might have happened to explain everything and I did not see the ending coming. 

I gave this one 5 stars because it was fast-paced and kept me wanting to know more. If you're looking for a good mystery, I highly recommend this one!

My First Rocksbox {Review}

A couple of weeks ago Leann had a link for a free month of Rocksbox and since I'd been hearing all about it and wanting to try it for a while, I figured why not?

My goodies came, a little over 2 weeks after setting up my account, in a cute little box that was personalized!

In it, my stlyist had put a necklace, bracelet and earrings, all based off of a necklace that I had liked on the site.

I actually really liked each of the pieces at first glance and liked them each even more once putting them on.

Keep in mind, I took these pics when I had just gotten home from work (because I was that excited) so I didn't pair them with anything other than what I was wearing that day.

I could definitely see getting a lot of use out of the earrings since they're a nice sparkle and gold color. 

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I also really liked the statement necklace and could see getting some good use out of that too, with dressing up more plain tops or a dress.

This is with the earrings that I had worn to work that day

this is with the earrings that came with the Rocksbox--they were harder to photograph

The Kendra Scott bracelet was so pretty and dainty and was definitely one that I gravitated towards. It was also the most expensive of the three at $64.

The price for each to buy were:

Perry Street Scarlett Necklace: $54

Kendra Scott Jana Bracelet: $64

Gorjana Pristine Circle Stud Earrings: $36

I wore the bracelet and earrings to work last week

I liked the dainty-ness of the bracelet next to the utility look of my green jacket

So far, I've gotten a lot of use out of the earrings and the bracelet, but I haven't found an outfit to wear with the necklace before I send it back.

I think I'll definitely be trying Rocksbox again, for at least another month, just to see what other goodies get picked out for me!
Have you tried Rocksbox? Is it worth keeping the subscription?