I read a post on Lucky Magazine last week by their associate digital editor, Alison Syrett Cleary, that flip-flops are just a "sloppy" fashion statement. She thinks they make casual wear look even "less pulled together" and well don't get her started on how bad they make "dressier" ensembles look! 

Then, her colleague Madeline Alford wrote a pro flip-flop piece on all the reasons why she loves flip-flops for casual and dressier occasions during the Summer! She does however say that flip-flops are not for the "office, theater, or first date (unless poolside)". 

I know there are doctors out there who say flip-flops aren't great for our feet, but there are thousands if not millions of women who still wear high heels every day, so you really won't see either of these footwear trends ever go away just because the experts have warned us not to wear them! 

My question for you ladies is, which side do you sit (or should I say walk) on? I appreciate that one magazine posted both sides and discussed how it was a hot topic issue during a meeting in their office. 

Are you wondering how I feel about flip-flops, well here is my answer for you....

Now although I love wearing flip-flops all Summer long, I am pretty picky about them. I can't stand those thin flip-flops or ones that have too much going on. Two years ago I discovered the Nike South Beach flip-flop at Kohl's and couldn't believe the comfort. It has enough sole to give my foot good support and has a nice thick, soft strap that doesn't rub my foot the wrong way! Plus, they are still wearable two years later, now that's a good flip-flop! 

I posted the flip-flop question on my personal Facebook page and at the time of writing this I received three yays. Tell me, where do you stand?! 

 Don't forget to stop back on Thursday for the Five Things link up party...this week I'm sharing my favorite craft and recipe ideas for Independence Day aka the 4th of July here in the states! 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! 

Five Things: Beach Vacation Must Haves

Ladies, you know we cram our travel bags with everything that we can possibly fit inside them, but there are some items that are a bit more important than others and just help to make any vacation complete. So since this year for vacation we're going to the beach I thought I would share with you my beach vacation must haves. I had to really narrow it down for my Five Things link up party, but you know there are definitely more than five things in my bag! 

1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated.

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

Shall we get the party started...

1. A great beach tote bag is a must, how else am I going to carry not only my own must haves, but items that everyone else wants while relaxing pool side or on the beach! I bet we actually have more of our family members items in our beach tote than our own things, am I right or am I right?! PS this awesome DIY bag was made for my birthday by my lovely friend Busy Bee Kate!

2. SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN!!!! I cannot stress this beach vacation must have enough. There's a personal story to go along with this, but I'll leave that for another post. Just please wear sunscreen. 

3. If I'm relaxing on the beach or tanning at the pool I need a good book to read, I cannot just sit there and people watch! I just finished John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars", I loved it and loathed it at the same time. It started out really great, the main character Hazel is a sarcastic teen that reminded me of my own girls, so she pretty much came to life for me right off the pages of the book. However, there were just too many unrealistic events for me to really feel like I was connecting with any of the characters. Yes, I cried and cried some more, cancer sucks and I have dealt with loss in my life because of it, so on that level I did connect, but as a whole I wanted more. Oh, and don't get me started on how it ended! Overall I would give it a B. Have you read it, what did you think? So, now I need a new book to read, any suggestions? 

4. If you're going on a beach vacation you need the perfect swimsuit, one you can feel comfortable yet sexy in. A few years ago I purchased a high neck swimsuit at Kohl's, similar to the one in the photo, and now I'm convinced that this style is the best ever (well for my body shape that is)! I'm a once piece swimsuit kind of gal, how about you? 

5. You can't enjoy a vacation without the right tunes! Before I moved to the burbs I didn't really listen to country at all, it was actually on my can't stand list, haha! But then something happen when we moved here and I became an almost country only chick, believe it or not this girl from the city is listening to country music! I just can't stand most of today's pop music, I still love my Matchbox Twenty, One Republic, Pink, and other rock pop artists and singer song writers. But the "today's hits" station on Pandora just turns me off and has me running in the other direction. It seems to be all rave, night club type music; just not for me. So now that country has gone more rock and pop I've become obsessed with artists like Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, The Band Perry, Lady A, Rascal Flatts, and Jake Owen, who just so happens to have the perfect Summer song out right now... "Beachin''...it can't get better than that, can it?! 

So, where are you headed this Summer for vacation, what are your top must haves that you cram inside your luggage? 

Link up with us and share the five things that are on your mind this week, we want to hear what's going on in your life too! 

Refreshing Iced Green Tea Recipe

 My mom used to make homemade iced tea all the time, and for some reason like her baked ziti recipe, which you can check out here, it took me this long to finally make it myself. I wanted to give her a call when I thought about making it, but knew she was at work so I began a search on Google and YouTube to find the perfect recipe.

I have watched my mom several times as she put the tea bags in the pot on the stove, so I knew the process was pretty simple, but I just wasn't sure of the exact amount of water or tea bags the recipe called for. While mom always made the traditional iced tea, I was considering green tea bags for mine. After watching a few not so great recipe videos on YouTube, I finally stumbled upon the easiest homemade iced green tea recipe on Woman's Day magazine....

Kirkland is a Costco Wholesale house brand. Now there may be some of you who would never buy a store brand, however I've never been one to shy away from them. I compare the ingredients and if everything looks the same, why not purchase the less expensive brand, right?! I have to tell you, their green tea bags are really rich in flavor compared to others I've tried that just taste like you're drinking hot water! 

The recipe on Woman's Day called for 4 cups of water and 6 tea bags, not wanting to change anything I followed the ingredients and directions as is. But after I poured the green tea into my 1/2 gallon pitcher, I realized I would need more to fill it up. I poured another 4 cups of water in the pot, let it come to a boil, turned off the heat, and actually reused the same 6 tea bags, then covered the pot with the lid and allowed the bags to steep for three minutes. 

Isn't the color gorgeous? I just love how the iced green tea looks in my personalized glass pitcher, which was a birthday gift from my best friend Becky a few years ago. 

At the time of putting the recipe together I didn't have any fresh fruit in the house, but now that I have strawberries I'm wondering how the results would taste if I added them in?! It's not as strong tasting as I expected it to be, so I may double up the amount of tea bags next time I make it. I also added in a few teaspoons of sugar, which is totally up to personal preference. 

Recipe Ingredients for a 1/2 gal glass pitcher: 

• 8 cups of water
• 12 green tea bags 
• honey or sugar for sweetener 

Recipe Directions: 

• Bring 8 cups of water to almost a boil, turn off heat
• Add 12 green tea bags, cover with lid. 
• Let your tea bags steep for 3 minutes 
• Remove bags and transfer to glass pitcher. Add in honey or sugar and refrigerate to cool

Modified Recipe from Woman's Day. 

This just may be my new favorite Summer drink! What are some drink recipes you like to make to cool things down during hot Summer days? 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! 

Five Things: I Loved About BPW PA State Convention

When I moved to my area a few years ago I didn't know many people and had a difficult time with the transition. Not only did we move, but I changed jobs and went from working in an office to working at home. It was a bit of a change to say the least; from interacting with co-workers and customers all day to sitting alone in my home office with no one to talk to while my step-daughters were at school and the hubby was at work, ladies working from home isn't always what it's cracked up to be! 

Yes, I am very blessed and fortunate that I can work from home, but I felt lonely and lost in this new home. Thankfully about six months later I met Katie of Vintage Vinyl Journals  and now Busy Bee Kate. She told me about an open house with a local women's group that she was a part of and I figured why not give it a chance. I joined in 2012, and though it's only been two years I feel like this amazing group of women have become part of my family. 

So, as the group's (Business and Professional Women aka BPW) youngest member, they asked me to consider the Young Careerist competition. On the local level you choose one of three topics and write a four minute speech and have a speak off against another Young Careerist from your BPW District. 

Well it turned out that no other woman from our district had signed up for the program, which meant that I was automatically going to the BPW PA State Convention! Sorry, this was supposed to be a short intro into my Five Things link up of what I loved about the convention, shall we get started?! 

1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated.

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

Shall we get the party started...

1. That's me giving a little thank you speech after receiving my award on the night of the BPW PA State Convention banquet dinner. When I joined my local BPW I worried that I wasn't professionally looking enough and wasn't very confident about myself. However, the support of my group has changed all of that, they had faith in me that I could represent their club as the Young Careerist and I was truly honored to stand up and speak as a member of our local. 

2. These are just a few of the ladies from my local that came to support me, it was actually one of the largest they've had attend the state convention in sometime! Not only have I made friends on the local level, but also on the state level. There were so many amazing women at convention that just came right up to me to say hello or congratulations, you really can't put a price on this experience. Before I joined BPW I felt lost, but now as a member of their sisterhood I know that I'll never feel that way again. I've never felt more liked in my entire life! 

3. The BPW PA State Convention isn't just about us on a local or state level, it's about all of us on a country level supporting women's rights and equality, as well as many other things. Did you know that Kathleen Kane is the first woman Attorney General of Pennsylvania? Ladies, it's 2014 why are we still having these firsts? Why is it taking so long? Did you know that women only make 77 cents for every dollar that a man makes? It's also really astounding in this day and age that Kathleen Kane our Attorney General of PA is still receiving comments like, "You’re a little girl running for this big job,” seriously guys?! To hear more about what Kane said during her inspiring speech stop by The Times Tribune article here.

4. It wasn't all business though, we had time to play and explore the town of Scranton as well. I was very fortunate to be with a group of ladies who wanted to explore and not just sit in a local pub and hang out! If you ever get the chance to visit Scranton I highly recommend visiting Nay Aug park to see the tree house and the beautiful gorge! 

5. Scranton has so much history; they were once a booming Steamtown, and the hotel we stayed in was a popular train station at one time! Who knew that during my BPW PA State Convention I would visit a train museum and get to ride a steam train?! (The one pictured is stationed in the museum and not the one we rode!) I encourage you to explore the towns of any convention you attend, whether it's for blogging, fashion, moms, women, etc. There is so much more to enjoy during conventions than just attending the events that occur inside the hotel! 

Sorry for my lengthy post, I just really really enjoyed my first ever convention and look forward to next year's! 

Now it's your turn to link up with us and share five things that are on your mind this week...

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies: Which Recipe is the Best?

There are two oatmeal raisin cookie recipes I tend to favor and haven't ever strayed away from them in search of something new, why fix something that isn't broken, right?! However, I recently noticed that one of the recipes is slightly better than the other. 

The two recipes I'm referring to can be found on the Quaker® Oats container and the Sun-Maid Raisins package, which is the one I used below. 

Oatmeal raisin cookies are my go to dessert to bake whenever I need to make something for a party or event, so the recipe really needs to be perfect! 

On to the ingredients... 

Recipe Ingredients from Sun-Maid Raisins package: 

• 3/4 cup softened butter or margarine
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup Sun-Maid Natural Raisins
• 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)

 Courtesy of Sun-Maid 

Recipe Directions: 

• HEAT oven to 350 F. 
• BEAT butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. 
• COMBINE flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. 
• ADD to butter mixture and mix well. 
• STIR in oats, raisins and nuts, if using. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. 
• BAKE 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets.
• COOL on wire racks. 

Directions Courtesy of Sun-Maid

They look amazing, right? Well, although they tasted pretty good they were thin and falling apart. This is not how I want to present my oatmeal raisin cookies to my guests! 

I noticed that the problem with the Sun-Maid Raisin oatmeal cookie recipe could be that it only called for one egg. Eggs are important in any cookie recipe, it's what helps hold the cookie together ( I'm sure for those with allergies there is something similar to an egg, perhaps vegetable oil, that has the same consistency. ) 

When I previously made the recipe from the Quaker® Oats container the cookies were a bit thicker, and stayed together pretty well. Here is the recipe from Quaker® Oats that I will be using from now on, unless you have an amazing oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that I should try and compare in a later post?! 

Ingredients from Quaker® Oats container:

• 1/2 Cup(s) (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4 Cup(s) firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 Cup(s) granulated sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Teaspoon(s) vanilla
• 1-1/2 Cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 Teaspoon(s) Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon(s) salt (optional)
• 3 Cup(s) Quaker^® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 Cup(s) raisins

Recipe Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. 

In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Recipe Courtesy of Quaker® Oats 

Is there a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies that you favor over all others? If so, I would love to try it out the next time I'm in need of my go to cookie recipe for a party or event! 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Five Things: You May Not Know About Me

Two weeks ago my Five Things co-host Tairalyn over at Little Miss Mama linked up with five things we may not know about her. It was such a cute post about who she is and it inspired me to share a few things about myself that you may not know, are you ready for this?! 

1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated. 

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

Shall we get the party started...

1. Some of you may know that I have an owl tattoo, but did you know that I have four tattoos total?! I have three others on the top of my back near my shoulders. I got my very first tattoo of a Pisces symbol (the fish and the astrological markings) when I was about 21/22 years old, then a few years later I got my second tattoo of a butterfly with a heart stomach, and my third tattoo I got with my husband right before we said 'I Do'. It's a combination of the symbols that represent my maiden name and married name, which results in a Feather and a Horseshoe. I am looking to get two other tattoos soon, one on my wrist near the owls of the quote from A.A. Milne (author of Winnie the Pooh), "You are Braver Than You Believe", and another tattoo that my sisters and I will get together, we haven't decided on a design yet! 

2. That's little baby me in that photo! If you've been following my blog for a while you may have seen this in my 25 Random Facts post back in 2010! But if you're new here, then this is something you may not have known about me. If you look at the photo you will see that my right eye is shut (looks like I'm winking, right?!). Well, I'm not sure if the doctors took notice when I was born but later on when I was fitted for glasses at around age 10, we found out that I was about 80% blind in my right eye. I can see things but they are very blurry, and 3D glasses that just have one red and one blue lens on each side and not a combination of the two, don't work for me! 

3. So, here is another little quirky thing about me when I was born! See that photo of me with my grandpa, who I love and miss so much. Well, take a closer look at my foot, can you see it?! No?! Should I tell you this fact you may not know about me?! HAHA, are you ready for this? I was born with 11 toes total! TRUE STORY! The toe was actually removed and I now have a little bump on the edge of my foot, next to my pinky toe, that sticks out and is a pain in the butt when trying on shoes. 

4. Do you recognize what movie this is from and who the beautiful actress is? Well, shame on you if you didn't know that it's from "Ever After: A Cinderella Story" or that this beauty is none other than Drew Barrymore! So, what does she have to do with me?! Well, ever since I saw E.T. I have been obsessed with Miss Barrymore and have pretty much seen every movie she's ever been in, even the not so popular, B rated movies, hey I still love them! I just love her quirky, free-spirit attitude, and hope that one day I can meet her in person. I even wrote into The Oprah Show when I was younger that I would love to meet Drew! #DREWBARRYMORE ARE YOU READING THIS?! Hmm, maybe I should write to The Ellen Show?! 

5. How handsome is my guy! I know I talk a lot about us ( I hope that doesn't turn you away!), but one thing you may not have known is that next year we'll be celebrating 10 years together. We've been dating since 2005 and married in 2010, 10 years together and 5 years married next year...woo hoo! I think we should do something pretty special to celebrate, don't you?! HINT, HINT HUBBY!! 

OK ya'll now it's your turn to link up and tell us five things we may not have known about you! Or you can share with us any five things that are on your mind this week....

Last Minute Father's Day Gift Ideas...

Hey everyone, sorry I've been a little MIA since last week, I have a big convention coming up with my women's group that I've been running around getting ready for! 

In the meantime stop by East Coast Creative today for a fun round up I put together of great last minute DIY gift ideas for Father's Day.... plus don't forget to come back tomorrow for the Five Things link up!

Five Things: I Love About Summer

One of my new favorite bloggers KariAnne over at Thistlewood Farm has joined a blogger Summer Home Tour and shared not only her gorgeous home, but things she loves about Summertime. So, I thought I would join in on the fun and share with you guys what I love about Summer for the Five Things link up. 

1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated. 

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

Shall we get the party started...

1. Summer Vacations at the Beach: especially with a good book to read while tanning on the sand!

2. Fishing on the Lake: two years ago I went fishing for the very first time and I caught a bass that was big enough to bring home for dinner!

3. Independence Day (4th of July) Fireworks at the Beach: it's the best place to watch them as they shoot off the water. 

4. Beautiful Peonies in my Garden: when they start to bloom I know that Summer will soon be here.

5. Summer Nights on the Deck: My guy is a grill master and cooks up BBQ chicken, burgers, and more. 

There are so many things to love about Summer, what are some of your favorite things about this wonderful season?