Weekend Wrap: 1st Pool Party of the Summer!

Hi Loves! This weekend was seriously the best.. and much needed! Friday night Whitney and I had our hair appointments - and yes, we plan them together! What better way to get in girl time than to bring in dinner and hang out while each other gets their cut and color?! While I was at the salon, Tyler texted me and told me not to get dinner because he already had it taken care of. I get home and he greets me with a glass of wine, takes me up to the media room and I see this! Candles, sushi, wine and a movie..perfect date night in!! He rented Broken City, which was so good! Saturday was full of fun in the sun, great friends, food and drinks! Once the party got started the pictures stopped... sorry! 

Date night in!

Kicking off the summer! Whitney and I // Paige, Melanie and I

I hope y'all had a great weekend! Did yours involve a sushi date and some fun in the sun? Let's get this week going so it can be the freaking weekend, again!! :)

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

10 facts about me, according to the bestie!

Hello Friday! Today we're having an employee appreciation luncheon at work and we get to leave right after the luncheon's over.. woo woo!! I see a much needed mani/pedi in my future!

 Earlier this week, Allison posted 10 facts about her, according to her hubby. I loved the idea so much that I decided to do the same thing, but from my bestie's perspective! Paige and I have been friends for over 20 years.. so it's safe to say that she knows me better than most. She's the sister I never had and I can tell her anything in the world and she will give me her honest opinion - every.single.time. Love her so much!

Since it's #backthatazzupfriday, I wanted to play a song that screams Jess & Paige - and the Spice Girls do just that! We would jam to this at the lake just riding in the golf cart. And we would create pretty amazing trampoline routines to this song! It even played at my wedding, and was just as amazing as we remember it.

                                                           

 

I've got some great oldies, but I'll save those for her b-day post in August! :)

Here's what she had to say!

1. Horrible golf cart driver!

This might have been true when I was 10, but not today! She only fell out of the cart once and she didn't even get hurt or cry.

2. Takes insults to her dogs personally
Who wouldn't! I know all the furbaby mommas out there will back me up! Paige dislikes male dogs... for no reason. Don't hate on my babies!

3. Will absolutely NEVER pass up a chance to shop, for anything, anywhere, with anyone
So true. I love me a good shopping trip... even if it's not for me! I can help others spend their money too.

4. Once was a professional mud-pie maker
Ah, this brings me back. Yes, we would make mud pies at my grandparents house and try to pass them off as chocolate and get the other kids to eat it. It worked once, and I got in trouble... because I'm the oldest. 
5. Obsessive over Pure Barre

Absolutely the best workout I've ever done! I've lost inches and look so much more toned!

6. Wets her pants more than anyone I know
Oh.my.gosh. So embarrassing, but so true. When we are together, we just laugh...so hard that I pee my pants.

7. Must have the dishwasher loaded in a particular way...Always. 
Call me anal, OCD...I don't care! The forks have their spot with the other forks and the plates need to line up tallest on the outside to the smallest on the inside. Our new house, which came with a new dishwasher, totally threw me for a loop, but I have my system now!

8. Loves herself a good girls night
Girls nights are just a must - no matter if you're married, dating or single. It's good for the soul to laugh and be with your best girlfriends. 
9. Used to practically live with my family, was once on our family's Christmas card

The good ole days! If Paige wasn't at my house or with my family at the lake, I was at her house or on vacations with her fam! That Christmas card... we were rockin' the Mickey Mouse Christmas attire! {look for this pic on a #tbt!}
10. Hit on her husband for the first time at a bar!
Yes, the first time I hit on Tyler was at a bar... in Vegas - Studio 54 to be exact. But, we met at work and we were on a work trip... I had known him for about 3-months, got a few drinks in me and I hit on him. I'm so glad I did, too! :)

I hope y'all enjoyed these little facts about me! What do y'all have going on this weekend? We are going to have some friends over for pool, food and drinks and do some projects around the house.

Have a  great weekend!

Linking up with the always fab Whitney.

Stripes, Sliced Cucumber & Elephant Skin, Oh My!

Hi loves! It's been a while since I've posted a little DIY action, but that changes today! The majority of our house {with the exception of the guest bedrooms} is extremely boring with the beige.. it almost makes everything have a yellow tint - YUCK! We decided to spruce up our laundry room with stripes and I'm so glad that we did! It almost makes me want to do laundry.. almost. I wanted something refreshing, but contrasting and gray was a must for one of the colors. We decided on Elephant Skin for the gray and Sliced Cucumber for the pale, and refreshing, green. We are happy, happy, happy with the results! Now Tyler wants to do stripes in another room... so we'll see!

My Inspiration:

Via

 Here's the boring beige.. so blah!

Step 1:

Using the lightest color, paint the entire wall(s). For us, we painted the walls Sliced Cucumber and we painted the ceiling Elephant Skin.. we wanted absolutely no beige left!

Step 2:

Measure the wall, divide the wall horizontally with painters tape (we used frog tape), then lightly paint against the tape to seal it from leaking. Ours wall is 116" tall, so we divided the wall into 8 stripes (the bottom two stripes were 16" and the top six stripes were 14"). You can't even tell that they are different dimensions!
Helpful hint: seal the tape with the base color, not the second color, that way what leaks through won't matter. Let that dry then paint your second color and it won't leak because the base color already sealed it.

 Step 3:

Using the contrasting color, paint every other stripe. Since we painted our ceiling gray, we started from the top using green, so there would be a contrast.

 Step 4:

Even though we "sealed" the tape, there were still mess ups. Once the paint has dried completely (and you've removed the previous tape) re-tape on top of the color that leaked. Then lightly cover with the other color and remove the tape immediately. It's a tedious process, but the results are SO worth it!

 Here's the finished product! We are in love.. makes such a difference!

Now that the painting's done, we have a few more to-dos left in the Laundry Room! Here's the rundown:

- Add some sort of window treatments

- Add a runner/rug

- Framed wall art & accessories

- New light fixture (something like this)

- Paint cabinets/base boards/door (they're all off-white)

- New washer/dryer (Would these old things die already!)

Linking up with Steph and Katie!

  Happy Thursday, y'all!

Kendra Scott Giveaway!

I am beyond excited to join forces with these fabulous bloggers for this giveaway!! It's no secret that I'm slightly obsessed with Kendra Scott, so why not giveaway a pair of earrings to our amazing readers?! The best part... the winner gets to choose the color!  How perfect is that?! Good luck ladies!! :)

Allison / / Becca / / Ashley / / Meredith / / Jordon / / Jessica

 

So what are you waiting for?! ENTER NOW! The giveaway is only happening for a short period of time.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Wednesday!

 

Taste of Tuesday: Baked Artichoke Dip

I don't know about y'all, but every time we go out to eat and Artichoke dip is an option - I'm all over it! This dip has Parmesan as it's special ingredient and it is a m a z i n g. My aunt always has this for an appetizer when she has get togethers, and now I make for our parties! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:

- 1 large shallot

- 2 (14 ounce) cans of artichoke hearts, drained

- 1/2 cup of mayonnaise

- 1/2 cup of sour cream

 - 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

- 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

- 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

- 1/3 cup of dry bread crumbs

- 1 1/2 teaspoons of finely minced fresh oregano

- 2 teaspoons of olive oil

Step 1: In a food processor, or blender, pulse the shallot and artichoke hearts until coarsely chopped. Preheat oven to 400 F.

Step 2: Mix chopped shallots and artichokes, mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Once mixed, transfer to a buttered 1 1/2 quart shallow baking dish.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, oregano and olive oil.

Keep the two mixtures separate, until your ready to place in the oven.

Step 4: Once oven is preheated, sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the artichoke dip. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes - the bread crumbs should be toasty brown and the dip should be bubbling around the edges.

Step 5: Slice french bread and broil for a few minutes.

ENJOY on sliced french bread or Ritz crackers!

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Hope y'all are having a great week so far!

Exterior Facelift - Phase 1

Hey friends! This weekend was crazy-busy, but we still managed to get a few things checked off the ole to-do list! Since we moved in to our house {almost 1-year ago!}, we wanted new light fixtures for the front and backyard. The poor left light always ended up slanted, no matter what we tried! We wanted something big and substantial... something with a wow factor. We ended up finding the perfect fixtures {finally} and they came in on Saturday!

Backyard light

So there you have it - phase 1 of our Exterior facelift is complete! It's amazing what a little upgrade will do for your house! Phase 2 will consist of adding flowers to the front flower beds and to the flower pots on the front porch. Stay tuned!

Oh, this weekend we also purchased A LOT of paint samples for our dining room and bedroom. Once we put the different colors on the walls, I'm going to ask y'all to vote for your favorite color!

Happy Monday!

Proper nutrition is imperative during cancer treatment!

Happy Sunday everyone! I can't believe it's already June.. where is the time going?! I have a special guest today, since it's National Cancer Survivor Day. David Haas, who is a researcher/writer on how healthy eating and nutrition benefits those undergoing cancer treatment. David was nice enough to reach out to me and provide a post for the Blissfully Miller readers!  Everyone is affected by cancer in some way and this is a great informational post for today!

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Undergoing cancer care is stressful for many reasons. While all patients are different, common side effects from cancer treatment can cause similar side effects. Studies have shown that maintaining a healthy diet helps many patients recover from the effects more quickly. Knowing what to eat and what to avoid throughout cancer care can help minimize some of the unpleasant effects and help the patient focus their energy on their road to survivorship.

The most common side effect cancer patients experience during chemotherapy treatment is fatigue, which can be extreme. While there is no real cure for fatigue, patients can help manage this particular symptom by eating healthier foods that add energy naturally. Protein from dairy, lean meat, fish and poultry can boost energy levels. The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance reports that staying hydrated helps some patients who are extremely tired. Make sure to get 8 ounces of fluid a day. Water is your best choice, but juices, milk and broth are fine, too. Beverages that contain caffeine don’t count.

Depending on where radiation therapy is delivered, some patients undergoing radiation can experience soreness in their mouth, along with a metallic taste that can make some foods taste unpleasant. According to the Mayo Clinic, spicy or acidic foods can exacerbate this symptom, so radiation patients will want to choose blander meals during their treatment. In addition, drinking from a straw can help liquids avoid affected areas of the mouth.

Unfortunately, even years after treatment is complete, some patients experience a condition commonly known as “chemo brain,” a lingering side effect that results in short-term memory loss, difficulty concentrating and leaving many patients feeling as if they have lost the ability to multi-task. There are foods that are known to boost brain power, so patients who suffer from this malady should opt for healthy foods like salmon, spinach, apples and blackberries, to name a few. Increase the intake of vegetables, raw and cooked. Many studies have shown that veggies also increase brain power, according to the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance.

A cancer diagnosis is overwhelming, frightening and daunting, as any cancer survivor can attest. Patients worry about many things, including how they will feel and function while they are receiving treatment. Fortunately, cancer care continues to improve and side effects can often be managed. Proper nutrition during treatment is a simple and smart method of coping with many of the most common physical feelings patients experience throughout treatment and on to recovery.

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Huge thanks to David for providing this awesome post! If y'all have any questions, please ask them in the 'Comment' section and I'll be sure to get the answers for you! 

Enjoy your day!