Leslie's French Pastries

I've been wanting to try Leslie's French Pastries

in Holladay for ever.

This shop has been around for a long time so I'm told

and it's on my way to work.

I think I was their first customer at 8:00am this morning.

 I gave away 3 and kept 1 for myself.
They were really affordable at $1.65 each!

It was just as yummy as it looks...

I was in eclair heaven :)

Project in Waiting

My mailbox was full of these beauties today!  I need to get busy.

Charmed

I l.o.v.e. charm bracelets.

My grandma gave me this silver charm bracelet when I was in grade school.  I started collecting charms and continued to collect all through high school.  My mom surprised me and had all of the charms put on the bracelet.  Each one was purchased for a specific reason and has special meaning.  I really enjoy wearing it!  I have 28 charms and should probably keep my eyes peeled for a new one every now and then.

My 2nd charm bracelet was a very thoughtful gift from my first class.  I was a BRAND NEW teacher and my room moms orchestrated this surprise for me during Teacher Appreciation Week 2005.  Each child brought in a donation, the room moms met secretly met with each student, and then they shopped to find a charm that would represent them for my bracelet.

The room moms had each of the kids write up why they choose their charm.  I have everything from a stapler, to a key, to a crown, and even a coo coo clock.  I still have the book that they put together and I adore this bracelet filled with memories of the first set of 28 students.

My newest charm bracelet was started by my brother.  He came to visit me in Utah a few years ago and his parting gift was starting me a Brighton charm bracelet.  I started with a bracelet, a football and a clover.  I've filled my Notre Dame themed bracelet with 23 beads with the help of my brother, my mom and my own purchases! 

It's the perfect game day accessory and has made many trips to Southbend, IN!

Accessory Holder

I found this at IKEA for $7.99 and thought it would be a better way to display my scarves.

These are my current scarves.  I like the way it organizes them and it hangs easily in my closet.

Sidewalk Chalk Math

The weather is g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s right now

in Utah.  I decided to take advantage of it

and take my math lesson outside!

We were practicing a variety of skills and 

the kids all agreed that they could handle 

doing math with sidewalk chalk. :)

Here's what math looked like:

 Sidenote: It was crazy sock day :)

 Fall colors are sneaking in!

Hoot Hoot

 My greatest HOME decor thrifty find to date:

I've always noticed locked, glass cabinets 

labeled "COLLECTIBLES" at DI

but had been intimidated by them.

I decided to be brave and peruse them...

OMG... Look what I found:

OWLS!

 I asked to see the pair of owls 

so the man got them out of the case for me.
I wanted to make sure they weren't cracked or broken
and I didn't want to get my hopes up
in case they were pricey.

They were in GREAT shape 

& were tagged with a price of only $8!

 JACKPOT!

I enthusiastically told him that I'd take them!

He said, "You must really like owls"

and put a SOLD tag on them 

I practically skipped out of the store.

 Outdated paint job but lots of potential!

You may be wondering why
I was so excited for this pair of owls...

I've seen LOTS of inspiring owl projects lately:

Nest of Posies 

Nesting Place 

 and have been on the lookout for my own.

I bought a can of this for $3.99 at Michaels

First coat of paint:

Let dry and did 2nd and 3rd coat:

Dried for several hours outside
and now sits on my nightstand.

$11.99 total transformation.
Oh how I love them!

DIY spray painting tips:

1. Wear gloves 

- if you forget GooGone will take the paint off your hands.

2. SCRUB your item before painting.  I washed my owls 

but still found areas that could have been 

more thoroughly cleaned beforehand.

3. Do lots of thin coats of paint.  Let dry after each layer.

4. Be diligent about having NO drips!

5. Spray from all angles

What could you spray paint today?

Love is...

Love is... making lunch for two instead of just you!

Update Needed

I decided recently that it was time to update

my hair appliances:

1. My rollers from junior high weren't cutting it anymore 

so I found another small, portable set at Walgreens
to replace them.
Old:

New:

2. I upgraded my blow dryer. 
It's more powerful and dries my hair much faster.

3. I LOVE my hair straightener.
I've bought many different ones and this GVP (generic CHI)
is my latest greatest.

4. I also have 2 neglected curling irons.

Football Cookies

I made some brownie cookies this weekend.

They were really tasty 

and I tried to make them football shaped.

Yummy!

You can make these with any flavor of cake mix!

Thrifting Score

 Scoped out a new Deseret Industries (AKA DI) 

in Sugarhouse on my day off...

$1.50 vintage, HEAVY ash tray

This will be Kevin's new change/key holder  :)

NORDICWARE mini bundt pan for $2.  I've been wanting to buy one of these for a LONG time but didn't want to pay $25 for one.  I couldn't pass it up! 

$1.50 shamrock plate.

$1 floral pillow case.  Still thinking on this one...

 My last, favorite find of the day deserves it's own post :)
Tune back in later this week to see my $8 super find!

Mountainy Monday

Must Have Mascara

I've found the BEST mascara

and I wanted to tell you about it.
I usually wear 2 or 3 different mascaras
to get the look I want.

Not anymore, thanks to this:

Covergirl LashPerfection - Very Black

 It's only $6.50 at Walmart and

Covergirl has coupons all the time!

This mascara makes my lashes look super thick!

 Tip: Apply one coat, let dry for 5 or so minutes
and apply another coat for extra thick lashes.