Friday Favorites!

I wanted to change it up a bit and share some of the items that I've been loving lately!

And for your listening pleasure (AKA: #backthatazzup Friday), I've got Wagon Wheel... This song brings me back to my college days and just puts me in a good mood - instantly! There's also a Darius Rucker and Mumford & Sons version, but this one's my all time fave.

         

1. Alien by Thierry Mugler: I am obsessed with this perfume.. it's seriously in my top 2.

2. Michael Kors: Enough said. His watches are amazing and this is my all time favorite watch. I wear it every.single.day.

3. Iced Tazo Tea in Passion Fruit: I drink this non-stop, all year around - unsweetened! I'm not a coffee drinker, but this is my substitute!

4. Ray Ban Aviators: These are an essential in my book. As in, don't leave home without them! Ever.

5. Essie in California Coral: This is my go-to color for Spring. It's perfection in a bottle.

What are some of your favorite items? I hope y'all have a great weekend!

Linking up with From my Grey Desk and I Wore Yoga Pants to Work.

Pay It Forward: Blogger Edition!

It really makes my heart smile knowing that I made someone's day just a little bit better. When I saw that the always generous Ashley and Jordon were participating in a Blogger's Edition of #PayItForward, I knew that I had to get involved!

Here's the dealio:

 The first 5 people to comment with their e-mail and blog address will receive from me, sometime in this calendar year, a gift - perhaps a book, a baked good, music - a surprise! There will likely be no warning, it will happen when the mood strikes me. The catch? Those five people must make the same offer on their blog. And who knows, I might be feeling extra generous and pick more than 5! ;)

Have a great day and be sure to make someone happy with a random act of kindness!!

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Taste of Tuesday: Baked Crab Rangoons!

I absolutely love Crab Rangoons, so when I saw a baked version on Pinterest, I had to try them! I must admit, this recipe had a step missing, which means that I missed a step! No worries, I learned from this little missing step and I will guide you right!

Ingredients:

- 1/8 teaspoon of garlic salt

- 1/8 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

- wonton wrappers (about 14-16)

- 1 small green onion, chopped

- 4 ounces of imitation crab

- 3 ounces of cream cheese

- Olive oil

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425. In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, crab, chopped green onions, Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt.

This is what it should look like mixed. I used a fork to "flake" the crab.

Step 2: Layout your wonton wrappers on a cookie sheet and lightly brush olive oil on the side facing down. This is the step I missed, which is the reason behind our flour-y looking rangoons. They still tasted scrumptious!

Step 3: Using a teaspoon, scoop the crap mixture and place in the center of each wonton wrapper.

Step 4: Grab each corner and pinch together using olive oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Step 5: Optional Sauce! I am slightly obsessed with PF Chang's and their sauce that they make at your table. I decided to try my own concoction using the above ingredients. Mix to your liking, depending on how spicy you want it.

Enjoy this super easy appetizer!

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Have a great day!

Weekend Wrap-Up: 5K Shenanigans!

Hello Monday. This weekend was a blast, and exhausting at the same time! I got my Saturday started with an 8:30am Pure Barre class, which was amazing. After that I went to Luke's Locker to get our race packets and I randomly ran in to my bestie, Whitney, who was picking up her packet too. We then took it upon ourselves to go get breakfast at Jamba Juice and catch up! I came home to the hubby doing yard work.. full-on yard work - weeding, mowing, edging, fertilizing.. he did all of this between the thunderstorms and hail that hit Dallas! Luckily I didn't have to partake in any of that, because it was freezing! Later that night the rain held out and we met friends for a pre-race dinner at Cafe Express and then by 8:30 we were running! I finished the 5k in 37 minutes, which I'm super proud of - seeing as how I haven't been running in 6+ months.. Oh, and running in a tutu.. not so bad until the tulle gets stuck in the crotch area... enough said. After the race, we headed to the bars to celebrate.. Scruffy Duffies is one of my faves.. they have the best Cranberry Vodka in town! They use white cranberry juice and then garnish the drink with cranberries and a lime. YUM!

Fruit and Veggie smoothie... not too bad.

Whitney and I before the 5K.

Love of my life!

Kara, me, Tyler and Whitney

Girls pic after the race - Rocking our tutus!

 Sunday we were SO sore.. We literally stayed in sweats all day, except when we went to get food - but once we got back to the house, the sweats were back on! We went to breakfast at Rudy's and then got dessert.. you know, to celebrate surviving the 5k. Then we napped and caught up on the DVR until about 5. I was seriously planning on cooking dinner and Tyler wanted to go out to eat - I was shocked, but didn't want to pass this rare occasion up! So we tried Fireside Pies, since we had never been. Best Caesar salad, best pizza, best brownie! Yes, we had dessert twice today... Tyler's sweet tooth needs to hit the road!

Sunday breakfast at Rudy's!

After breakfast dessert - totally Tyler's idea! He's been having such a sweet tooth lately.

Fireside Pies is our new favorite pizza place! Best.Food.Ever.

 I hope everyone had an awesome weekend!

Linking up with Sami's Shenanigans, Life of Love, Lipgloss and Crayons, Life of Meg and Join the Gossip.

Linking up with Lisette.

Friday's Insta Recap!

Oh, Friday - I've been waiting on you since Sunday Night!! This week went by so fast - probably because I have a 5k that I forgot about haven't trained for. Or maybe it's the fact that work is so crazy-busy, I don't have time to think about what day of the week it is. Regardless, I'm so glad it flew by! If you follow me on IG (jessicaselie), then you know what's up! If not, you can get the rundown below. 

In case you haven't gotten the JT album (gasp!), here's a preview of one of my favorites! It is #BackThatAzzUp Friday, after all!

                                                      

 1. Tuesday I received an e-mail reminding me that a 5k, that I signed Tyler and I up for, is less than a week away! EEK!! Where did the months go?! Hopefully I'll be fine and be able to run the entire thing most of the race! If I'm not back here on Monday, you'll know why..

2. Oh, Justin Timberlake.. You amazed me on SNL a few weeks ago and then blew me away Monday through Friday {especially the Friday ep} on Jimmy Fallon last week. So it's only fitting that I add your new CD to my JT/N'Sync collection! What's the verdict?? AMAZEFEST!! I don't think he could disappoint! I'm now impatiently waiting for his companion CD and some concert tickets...

3. Doesn't this fabric just scream Spring?! I'm working on a little DIY project, which will hit the blog next Thursday!! Be sure to keep an eye out!

4. You know the Firefly Run I'm doing, mentioned in #1?! Well the girls on our team are wearing Tutus!! We're hoping to win the best costume contest.. I'll keep y'all posted! 

My tutorial can be found here.

5. Thursday night we took a customer/friend to dinner and sushi was involved - Heaven! I only got a picture of 2 of our 6 rolls, because we were too busy eating all the goodness!

What do y'all have planned this weekend? We are going to hopefully get our front flowerbeds looking good with some fresh mulch and flowers, hang out with great friends and run a 5k! I hope y'all have a great weekend!

If you haven't already, you can click the button below to follow me on Bloglovin'!! I would really appreciate it! :)

Linking up with I Wore Yoga Pants to Work, From My Grey Desk and Life Rearranged.

DIY Tutu - Saw It, Pinned It, Did It!

 I am so excited to be joining Stephanie and Katie for their weekly Saw It, Pinned It, Did It link-up! Tyler and I, and a group of friends, are running in a 5k this weekend. The race is at night and the runners are encouraged to dress up, since there's a costume contest after! So naturally, the girls decided on wearing tutus! :) I pinned this tutu the other day as a how-to and here we are! My friend Kara made her tutu last weekend and it turned out so cute! Off I went to Hobby Lobby to pick up the materials, which included neon tulle and ribbon! Kara had leftover glow in the dark puff paint, so I borrowed that for mine.

Step 1: Get material from your local craft store (I went to Hobby Lobby).

Step 2: Wrap the roll of tulle around cardboard, or other object. Make sure it's the size you want it, based on how short/long you want the tutu. I had this for another project I'm working on.. I just put the top end at my waist to see where the bottom hit on my leg, and it worked perfect.

Step 3: Remove from cardboard, or other object, and cut the top in half. If you're using more than one color, repeat steps 2 and 3 until all are cut.

This is what the end result looks like, after cutting the tulle.

Step 4: Cut your ribbon for around your waist. I was making 2 tutus, so I cut this entire roll in half, which worked/measured perfectly.

Step 5: Fold each tulle piece in half

Step 6: Place halved tulle piece under the ribbon, like above.

Step 7: Loop the bottom portion through the top 'hole' portion and pull down, like above. Think under-over and pull.

Step 8: Once pulled tightly, make sure there aren't any gaps between each piece of tulle. I used 4 pieces per color, you can add more or less - depending on how much of one color you want shown.

Progress!!

Step 9 {Optional}: I added neon ribbon randomly on the tutu, which is secured the same way the tulle is (steps 5-7). I also added the glow in the dark puff paint, so we will glow for our night run!

Voila! Finished product, which I'm beyond thrilled about! Love it and I can't wait to rock a tutu on Saturday night!

 Now, for the budget breakdown!

Pink and Blue Tulle - $4.99 each

Yellow and Purple Tulle - $3.99 each

Neon Yellow Ribbon (for waist) - $3.99

Pink and Yellow Ribbon - $1.99 each

Puff Paint - Borrowed

Tutu Total: $28.15

Not too shabby, considering the cheapest on on Etsy was $30, which didn't include tax or shipping. I had just missed the sale on tulle (it was half price last weekend), so this project could be much more cost effective! This would be a perfect project if you have a little girl or if you have a race that are "dressing up" for! The options are endless!

This was such a fun project to work on with Kara! Be sure to keep an eye out next week.. I'm sure there will be lots of pictures from our 5k! :) Oh, and if you're running in the Firefly Run, you know what we're wearing - so look for us!

Linking up with Beautiful Mess and Keep Calm & Carry on.

Happy Thursday!